


Then and Now

by Karfraegh18



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-09-13
Updated: 2009-09-12
Packaged: 2018-09-03 04:02:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8695849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Karfraegh18/pseuds/Karfraegh18
Summary: When the release of Streets 2, the follow up to the hugely successful car racing game Streets, is sabotaged and details leaked to a rival software company; Jared Padalecki, a computer security expert is called in.  How could he handle it if old lover Jensen Ackles was his prime suspect in this baffling case?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Note from the Sinful Desire archivists: this story was originally archived at [Sinful-Desire.org](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Sinful_Desire). To preserve the archive, we began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in November 2016. We e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact us using the e-mail address on [Sinful Desire collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/sinfuldesire/profile).

**Now**

 

When the alarm sounded, Jensen Ackles was in a very deep sleep that included some very satisfying dreams, and as such the raucous noise was what he considered to be a bloody nuisance. Reaching blindly without contacts or glasses he unerringly managed to grab the alarm and randomly pressed buttons until at last, blessed peace.

 

It was set to weekday alarm time and he should have remembered to switch the damn thing off as he had worked until three this morning ready for the presentation tomorrow. Had finally dotted all the ‘i’s’ and crossed all the ‘t’s’ and goddammit he deserved some sleep.

 

Muttering at the unfairness of life itself he laid back on the pillow, as it hit him he was running on like three hours sleep, and wondered if he could just squeeze in one or two more minutes of being buried so deep in covers that he hadn’t been able to see light.

 

Yawning and stretching like a cat he snuggled down, relaxing every muscle into the mattress and thanking god for sleep.

 

It was his cell phone that dragged him from his doze, the ring went to voicemail and Jensen sighed happily. Sundays shouldn’t include alarm clocks or phone calls.

 

The phone rang again, voicemail answered after 4 rings. Silence.

 

The phone rang again, Jensen reached for it, ready to kill whoever decided it was important to speak to him …did nobody have Sunday off? Damn. It went to answer phone. Silence. Oh well, never mind. They’d ring back. Jensen looked blearily at the missed calls, Mike, Mike, Mike.

 

He keyed for his voice mail but pressing enter was superseded by Mike’s name flashing on the screen, this time Jensen answered

 

“‘lo” was all he could manage

 

“Jensen are you near your laptop?” What? His laptop? Was Mike taking the piss out of the fact he had no boyfriend at the moment? Bastard

 

“Jeez Mike, I’m not that desperate that I take it to bed with me” Shit, my head

 

“You need to boot it up man...”

 

”Wha? No, it’s Sunday, cant it wait till tomorrow” Bloody company would want his soul next.

 

“Seriously Jensen, get up and switch on your laptop”

 

“No man, ask Sarah, I’m all programmed out, she can sort out - ”

 

“Jen, Get. UP. Check your LAPTOP” Mike sounded almost fearful and his voice was strained and that finally cut through Jensen’s fog “Jen?” he prompted impatiently

 

“I’m here, give me 5 and I’ll phone you back” he said struggling to release himself from his cocoon of covers and climb out of his pit.

 

“Make it 2 man”

 

“M’okay”

 

He managed to stub his toe on the way to the bathroom as he blundered in search of the toilet and his glasses; first he needed a pee then he needed to be able to see. Both things taken care of Jensen slumped in front of his laptop, lifting the lid and pressing the power button. What seemed like hours later, as Jensen pressed tired fingers against his temples, the laptop powered up.

 

Focusing on his mobile he keyed speed dial 4 for Mike

 

“Jen, open your email” Mike urged with no pleasantries, “I sent you an email about ten minutes ago”

 

“OK man, doing it…”

 

His inbox popped up showing 23 new emails of which half he knew would be rubbish. At the very top sat an email from Mike’s home email address, Jensen clicked and it opened. It was blank but it had an attachment code.doc. He double clicked on it but programmer or not his tired eyes just pulled up random nonsense.

 

“What is this about Mike, what am I looking at?”

 

“Back code for the new racing game from ITech” it was sent to us anonymously last night.

 

“Anonymously? I don’t get it, why would we have had code from their game sent to us?”

”Jensen look closely man”

 

Jensen tried, his eyes still tired and his brain on a go-slow. He saw code move on the screen as he scrolled down and it was difficult to see a pattern. Then, suddenly, in a blink of the eye, his coder’s brain clicked into recognition. Well fuck.

 

“We didn’t get sent their code” Mike suggested hesitantly

 

“Jeez. Fuck. That is my code. My programming.”

 

”Jen, someone sent us this to show that somehow ITech have got our code, not only that but …” he paused, clearly struggling to get the next bit out “… it’s specific code from the racing game they launched as Beta … last night”

 

“Last night? But this is the code for Streets 2, code for the Beta launch tomorrow, what the fuck?”

 

“Jen, they’ve stolen our work, your work, they’ve launched it as their own work”

 

“But, but they erm …” wake up wake up “… they can’t do that, the security protocols in my code - ”

 

“Stripped. Every single damn line that identifies this as our code, gone”

 

“I’m coming in, get Ed and Trixie in. I assume Sarah knows?”

 

”Sarah is here with me, I’m at the office man, well I kinda never left last night”

 

“See you in 10”

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

A years work. A whole year of sweat and code and algorithms and sore hands and bad coffee and late nights. Gone in an instant. Just gone.

 

The drive to the AG building was fast, the roads Sunday empty and not a cop car in sight and Jensen made it in 7 minutes, which included dressing in jeans and his scruffy MIT sweatshirt, pulling on boots, grabbing a jacket and finding his keys. Not bad for a Sunday morning.

 

His security card let him in the front door; iris recognition let him in to the inner sanctum where he found an unsettled and pacing Mike waiting for him.

 

“Jensen, Jeez man, we are screwed here”

 

“Calm down Mike, damage limitation – we need to find out exactly what we have here and then take it step by step”

 

”What we have here …” came a strong voice from behind Jensen “Is sabotage, spying, stealing” Jensen turned watching as his boss crossed from her office to stand next to the desk that Mike had finally leaned back against.

 

“Sarah, there has to be a mistake here, ITech wouldn’t steal code, they don’t need it, they have their own programmers, their own code, they - “

 

“We have one thing they don't have though Jensen”

 

”What?”

 

”You. You and that freaky 3d code brain of yours” Mike nodded, pulling his lower lip between his teeth.

 

“But they have…” Jensen started to defend himself and then stopped “If they have the code then they’ll have….” His voice trailed off the horror of what had been stolen from AG, from Jensen, starting to hit “… the graphic … the … my graphics engine code … tell me they don’t have my …” Jensen looked pleadingly at Mike as Mike turned a screen to face him.

 

The screen showed a street racing scene with crisp clear graphics and the words Beta: ITech #733 permanently on screen in the left hand corner. Jensen only had to see a glimpse, see the graphics rendering to know that what ITech had was enough to destroy AG entirely, they had his graphics engine.

 

Each stood in stunned silence, Jensen reliving the horror of losing a years work as both Ed and Trixie arrived one after the other and Mike briefed them. Trixie laid a consoling hand on Jensen’s arm, not saying a word, understanding no words were enough to grab back a years work, a years worth of research and development.

 

All five of them sat at the conference table.

 

“What now?” Jensen finally asked “We have to get that code back”

 

“We can never prove it was ours, our Beta wasn’t even launched, we launch now and it looks like we’ve stolen from them”

 

”But our code, my graphics engine, there would be an audit trail in the code, we could prove - ”

 

“I’m telling you man, they stripped everything, absolutely everything”

 

“I could tell, I know I could” Trixie piped up “Our team coding is distinctive, Jensen’s especially”

 

“And we can pull out all the coding we’ve done that would prove …”

 

“Nothing. It wouldn’t prove anything” This from Sarah who had seen industrial espionage before and knew it wasn’t pretty.

 

“There is only one thing we can do …” Jensen suddenly looked stricken and Mike just went pale, Ed and Trixie exchanged worried looks. “… we need to get an outside auditor in to track this, get the police involved, and goddamit cancel the Beta launch, cos we got no product to launch”

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

When Jared got the call he had only just got back from his run and settled the dogs in the utility with water and cuddles.

 

Being on call 24 hours a day seven days a week was a bastard but still it paid the bills and kept him in candy.

 

“Hello, Padalecki Securites”

 

“Can I talk to Mr Padalecki”

 

“Speaking, can I help?”

 

“This is Sarah Gresham at AG, we met at the security seminar you ran last August”

 

“Ms Gresham”

 

“We would like to hire your company, but more specifically you, for a security matter Mr Padalecki”

 

“When do you want to see me?”

 

“Now, if at all possible”

 

“I can be with you in a hour”

 

“We look forward to seeing you”

 

Short conversation, Jared thought carefully as he climbed in the shower, lathering up gel and removing the sweat of a five-mile run from his body. AG. He knew of AG. Everyone in the gaming industry knew of AG. Streets had been phenomenally successful and had made Sarah Gresham a multi millionaires virtually overnight. It took street racing on gaming stations to new high and the young and disassociated had snapped it up with fervour backed up by dollars.

 

Something else stood out in his mind when he heard the word AG. Jensen Ross Ackles.

 

++++

 

**Then: MIT Autumn 2002.**

 

He had been on campus only two weeks when Jared spotted the senior, Jensen, who he had been partnered with for his beginners project. Spotted him with his arms wrapped around another guy, lips hot and locked. He was mesmerised, watching, afraid that if one of them didn’t come up for air soon then they would surely suffocate. 

The shorter of the two men was, he thought, a guy named Andrew, although it was difficult to tell without getting a clearer look at the face. It was possibly the hottest thing ever. To watch as Jensen (he was sure it was Jensen Ackles) pushed the other guy against the courtyard wall and rutted against him every inch of his body plastered close. They did come up for air but only to exchange swear words before their mouths dueled for dominance and the shorter man arched into Jensen both clearly close to coming in their jeans if the groans were anything to go by.

 

This was all getting a bit much and the impetus that had made Jared follow Jensen to this secluded corner to ask a question had gone with the shock of watching live porn in broad daylight.

 

Slinking back into the shadows Jared rounded the corner and jogged to sit under a tree desperately trying to not make it obvious that he was sporting wood hard enough to cut through metal and very glad for the baggy shirt that hid his crotch. That was so hot he imagined it would be his fantasy for any alone time he could grab for many a day to come.

 

He pulled out the text book Jensen had handed to him and tried to make sense of some of the coding rhythms he needed to learn and slowly forgot Jensen as he became engrossed in the strange but secure unchanging world of brackets and letters.

 

So engrossed that the shadow that fell across him didn’t even register until a voice made itself known.

 

“Jared” a strong thick Texan accent cut through his concentration and, blinking, he looked up. Jensen.

 

“Hey” Jared said trying not to focus on Jensen’s crotch, which to be fair on Jared, wasn’t far above his head. Jensen smiled a small smile and squatted down in front of the MIT newbie that he had been partnered with. Jared stared lost into fathomless green eyes, waiting for Jensen to say something. The silence was uncomfortable but Jared could not think of one thing to say.

 

“So newbie, did you enjoy the show?” Jared blushed beetroot red, shit had Jensen been aware he had an audience shit shit shit

 

“I.. err..” lost for words, no words, shit

 

“Never mind Jay, was it good for you?” At this he cast a casual eye to Jared’s crotch area, a smirk on his face.

 

“It wasn’t … I’m not … I’m” Jensen sighed as Jared if it was possible was getting more and more red “I’m not gay” he finally blurted out.

 

“Hmmmm” Jensen teased running his eyes back up six four of Padalecki muscles and skin “Whatever dude. You cool?” Cool with Jensen being gay? Of course he was, Jared might be a Texan but love was love, sex was sex, and he was definitely cool. Of course all that came out was “Uhmm” Jensen looked momentarily disappointed but didn’t say anything, choosing instead to point to the book that Jared was devouring avidly.

 

“You getting on OK with that?” he asked.

 

“Yeah”

 

“So we need to meet to project plan this”

 

”Yeah” Jared confirmed, closing the book and leaning back against the tree. A man of few words thought Jensen, sighing inwardly.

 

“Thursday, mine, 7” Taking a pen from his pocket he scribbled an address on Jared’s hand “bring beer” he added

 

“M’okay”

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Jared remembered that day with a clarity that often overwhelmed him. Despite everything that came after, all the shit and the arguments and the devastation of betrayal, that one single shining day had the power to send emotions coursing through his body that could bring him to his knees.

 

Jared closed his eyes under the warm water of the shower and his slicked hand went to his dick and in confident movement and twists of his hands he brought himself off under the shower, green eyes and freckles behind his eyes driving him forward and leaving him feeling strangely dirty and used.

 

Great start to a professional relationship


	2. Chapter 2

**Then**

 

6.45 and Jared left his dorm, freshly showered and dressed in his best jeans and brand new MIT t-shirt. 

 

He had a six-pack of beer and had his backpack full of scribbled notes and questions. Word on his course was that out of the seniors Jensen Ackles was the best, apparently he had a natural instinct for code and Jared should consider himself really lucky to be partnered with him. He was going to get as much out of Jensen as he could, learn everything he could before their joint project ended, starting tonight.

 

Arriving at the house that Jensen obviously shared with others he knocked on the door. It wasn’t Jensen answered the door, but instead a tall guy with blue eyes and a grin so blinding it hurt.

 

“Newbie” came a voice behind him, and Jared peered round door guy to see Jensen arms full of books at the bottom of the stairs “come in man, hey beer, bring it up” and he began to climb the stairs. Door guy looked carefully at Jared before moving to one side and ushering him in. Jared immediately climbed the stairs three at a time and caught up with Jensen at the top. They turned left and using an elbow Jensen opened the door a the end of the dark corridor and entered the tidiest bedroom Jared had ever seen. He looked at the bedroom and then looked at Jensen, then back at the bedroom. Jensen just smirked at Jared’s confused expression.

 

“OCD dude, OCD” he said matter of factly. Jared nodded and scanned the room. Fairly standard student fare; bed, desk, 2 chairs, television, Ipod dock, shelves holding books on various levels and types of coding and gaming. No posters though, just empty magnolia painted walls and dark blue blinds at the window. The bed was neat, like really neat, covers tucked in and pillows arranged just so. Definitely OCD.

 

He hesitated as to where to dump his bag until Jensen gestured to the desk.

 

“Lets spread out there” he said helpfully and gratefully Jared slumped into one of the chairs, folding his tall frame over the table and emptying out his bag. Jensen used the ring on his right hand to open two beers and handed one to Jared.

 

“OK” he said sitting in the other chair “So where do we start”

 

“I do have some ideas” Jared offered in a small voice, unsure if he was supposed to be driving this project or as senior partner Jensen was supposed to.

 

“Well shoot, go for it then, it’s your project, I’m just facilitating”

 

“Well, I’m interested in the coding behind gaming” Jared started, kind of nervous, knowing Jensen was the game code king on campus.

 

“I’m all ears”

 

“Well I have this idea but I’m not sure if a) it is possible, or b) whether or not it is something I should focus on.” Jensen listened as Jared rambled for a good half hour, throwing an idea or a suggestion in here and there, feeling the enthusiasm in Jared’s voice start to infect his own emotions. The student in him watched an impassioned Jared, an obviously brilliant, perceptive Jared, as he spoke clearly and calmly and created this beautiful hierarchy of code in the air that Jensen could taste. 

 

The man in him watched the black MIT t-shirt pull and stretch against tight strong muscles as Jared gestured and pointed; he saw fire burning in the most gorgeous cat like hazel eyes and watched as Jared's mobile mouth formed letters and numbers and words. He saw a rising blush whenever Jared commented on something a bit controversial and saw a smile, as wide as the widest smile everm whenever Jensen praised a suggestion.

 

Finally he ran out of steam, but Jensen could still see code in his eyes, could taste the structure, the programme, the lines of poetry that Jared would create and it filled him with a sudden rush of enthusiasm for this beautiful boy and his amazing brain.

 

Jensen opened another beer each to realise they were the last two, which kind of went some way to explaining the smooth beer buzz he was feeling. He opened a new notebook and clicked the end of the pen once, twice, three times before looking at Jared thoughtfully.

 

“OK newbie, lets structure” He smiled at Jared then looked down at the sheet starting to draw together Jared’s ideas into a formal hierarchy, he then handed the notebook to Jared who frowned. “You finish” Jensen encouraged gently. “Let’s see what you’ve got”

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

**Now**

 

Jared stood at the entrance to AG software. Stood still behind a post, gathering his reserves, burying his fear. Shifting his laptop bag on his shoulder he moved into the foyer introducing himself to the security guard who seemed to be expecting him and, after examining his credentials, buzzed him through to the inner security doors. 

 

There he waited assuming that someone would open the sanctum doors allowing him access. He didn’t have to wait long before a petite woman with long blonde hair opened the main door and ushered him in. “I’m Trixie” she introduced herself holding out her hand as they walked

 

“Jared” he said politely taking her hand and grasping it briefly.

 

Feeling his anxiety rise as he neared the huddle of people around the desk he spotted Jensen immediately, despite him having his back turned to him. Short dark blonde hair, broad shoulders, slim hips, just the way he was holding himself … so Jensen.

 

A taller woman, a brunette, spotted his entrance and walked to him, he recognised her from the seminar.

 

“Ms Gresham” he acknowledged holding out his hand.

 

“Mr Padalecki” Jared saw Jensen’s shoulder tense before watching him stand from his stooped position and slowly turning, a look of complete disbelief on his face.

 

“Call me Jared”

 

“Jared, meet the team, Trixie you have met and this is Ed, they are lead programmers for the new software we are developing. He shook Ed’s hand still watching Jensen out of the corner of his eyes, an evil part of him enjoying his floored expression. “And this is Jensen, he is the Project Manager for Streets 2”

 

Jared calmly held out his hand, which Jensen took

 

“We’ve met” Jared’s voice was even and calm “We were at MIT together, Jensen a senior, myself a first year, he mentored me for a few months. Good to see you Jensen”

 

“And you Jared” Their eyes met briefly, flashes of fire from Jared, flashes of regret from Jensen and then they carefully blanked the expressions.

 

“So, you called for a security expert, can you tell me a bit more?”

 

And that was how it started, chapter 2 in the Jared and Jensen story

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

**Then**

 

They didn’t finish until way past midnight and they were both buzzed, not from beer but from the pure beauty and poetry of the code they were creating between them. They laughed that they were geeks, and Jared couldn’t stop laughing when Jensen pointed to his face and stated in all seriousness that he made geek look good. 

 

They finally stopped when Jared let out the biggest yawn Jensen had ever seen which made him look at his watch in horror.

 

”Jeez, I have tests tomorrow” he said regretfully “Come on newbie, I’ll walk you home”

 

“You, six one and weedy, are walking me, six four and built home?” Jared smirked

 

“Weedy?” Jensen frowned and poked at Jared “We get attacked by vampires I have moves I’ll have you know”

 

“What like? Shouting at them?”

 

“I keep a stake in the bushes” experimentally he waved his hand in front of him “and I have reach”

 

“yeah shorty, whatever”

 

And that is how the bantering continued all the way back to Jared’s dorm, easy and comfortable, the two of them knocking shoulders every so often, firm friends as soon as the common interest kicked in.

 

Jared stopped at the main door “Coffee he asked?”

 

“Nah, I never put out on the first date”

 

“Well gee, I’m gutted”

 

“I’ll see you in a few days, work that code Jared”

 

“I will, I doubt I’ll sleep tonight”

 

“What are you? Seven?” Jensen laughed and started to walk away “Laters” he called back

 

“Jensen” Jared called in a loud whisper

 

Jensen stopped and turned to look back at a smiling Jared.

 

“Jensen, I lied” Jensen tilted his head to one side expectantly

 

Jared laughed pointing at his own chest “Me? Gayer than a gay thing” he said brightly and disappeared into his dorm closing the door behind him leaving a shocked Jensen wondering when his gaydar had broken.

 

“Well damn” he said softly and started the ten minute walk back to his shared house

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

**Now**

 

The team sat down at the round conference table and Jared opened his laptop, scrolling to notepad and saving a new file. He then encouraged the team to speak, and as they spoke he typed in details and comments. Jensen didn’t say one thing, just watched carefully as each person spoke.

 

“Jensen’s coding is unique we have to be able to trace it”

 

“Trixie I said they had stripped everything”

 

”Well there might be something. Right Jared?”

 

“What I don’t understand is how they got raw code”

 

“They hacked in they must have”

 

”What through Jensen’s security protocols”

 

“No, now way”

 

”Then how”

 

“How did they get the code?”

 

They all quietened and looked at Jared expectantly.

 

“Well, in my experience ..." He began carefully "...there are only two ways these things escape from containment, someone gets in, or someone is let in. I will be looking internally as well”

 

Horrified silence as each person looked at the other.

 

“No, that is not possible, no one gave anything to anyone, I trust my team implicitly” The first time Jensen had added something to the conversation, looking at Jared with an angry expression marking his face. “I need coffee” he said simply and rose to leave the table “Jared? A word please” Jared frowned at Jensen who wouldn’t quite look him in the eye.

 

“OK”. Saving the file and powering down the laptop Jared stood, knowing this conversation was kind of inevitable, but not looking forward to it. He followed Jensen down a corridor and to a small kitchen, Jensen gesturing Jared in and closing the door behind him.

 

With a sudden movement Jensen turned to face Jared.

 

“Jared, you …” He paused, taking a deep breath and leaning back on the work surface “… you can hate me, distrust me all you like, but I need your assurances that you will do your job properly and not jump to conclusions about me or my team”

 

“I don’t hate you Jensen.” Jensen frowned again but at least lifted his eyes to Jared’s. “I do however distrust you, intensely, in fact I will probably never ever trust you again. Tell me, given my past experience with you, why I shouldn’t look at you first? Tell me why I should trust that it wasn’t you who sold AG out”.

 

Jensen hung his head, he knew what he needed to do, but the anonymity that he had fought for so long to maintain was about to disappear.

 

“Jared. I need to tell you something” Jensen glanced towards the closed door, almost nervously. “AG” he continued waving a hand around encompassing the building that was AG “Well the G is for Gresham and the A is for Ackles. Tell me Jared, why would I sabotage my own company?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Then**

 

Working in Jensen’s room became a regular occurence and evening by evening, day by day they learned about each other. They knew the obvious, they were both from Texas. After that it all tumbled out, sisters, brother, homes, holidays, friends. 

 

Jared learned that Jensen’s parents were not at all happy with their son’s choice in sexual partners, but were intensely proud of their son, the MIT student. 

 

Jensen learned that Jared’s parents were cool with the whole gayer than a gay thing. Which Jared put down to the fact that his brother was the whole picket fence, 2.4 children, and dog, success story. Added to which he was a surgeon, so huge kudos to big brother for channeling the heat off of Jared.

 

Jensen had taken to calling Jared ‘Jay’ and Jared called Jensen ‘Jen’ or Jenny if he was really wanting to wind the older man up. They didn’t meet outside of the project they were working on apart from crossing paths on the odd occasion on campus. They had their own little bands of equally geeky friends and enjoyed their time together that much more for the absences. 

 

Jensen knew from day one of meeting Jared exactly what he wanted, he wanted Jared, preferable naked, location optional. This was heightened when Jay revealed the whole gayness thing. It was all Jensen could do not to touch the floppy haired first year.

 

Touch him in wholly inappropriate ways that had nothing to do with source code or in fact any learning of any sort related to computers.

 

Jared knew from day one of meeting Jensen that he was possibly the hottest thing on campus. Strike that, there was no ‘possibility’; about it, Jensen, with his firm muscled non-geek body and his styled flicked hair, and his deep mesmerising green eyes, was definitely the hottest thing on campus by miles. 

 

Testament to that was how many first year girls signed up for his student study groups on gaming code and spent the entire time passing notes and sighing. Jensen didn’t make any secret about his preference for men but it made Jared laugh to see how many of his classmates were convinced Jensen was gay only because he hadn’t met them yet

 

“I could so show that man some moves” Jared overheard in second period calculus “Oh my god yeah, he just hasn’t had the right girl show him the moves” this punctuated with a sly shimmer of jean contained hips and a flick of long blonde hair. Jared smirked, nothing was gonna turn Jensen, they had absolutely no idea. Ewwww vagina.

 

Of course, inevitably, they would draw Jared into their little conversations; everyone knew that he was working one on one with the delectable hotty Jensen Ackles. He had a patented way of getting out of the chats though, he would just start talking code, explaining what Jensen and him were working on. 

 

Luckily none of the giggling girls were computer geeks; all of them seemed to be biology students; Jared wondered at the connection and smirked, a lot. Very soon they gave up on pumping Jared for information and after it became obvious that Jared too was gay, a crying shame apparently, he became included in their little ‘biology’esque chat group. 

 

Asked questions that seemingly only gay men could answer. Most questions revolving around Jensen and his hotness and shouldn’t you be tapping that Jared.

 

Jared enjoyed the chats, realising his circle of friends consisted mostly of girls, and commented as such to Jensen. Jensen just smiled secretively, pointing out that he would much rather share a house with three girls than the three jocks he was sharing with at the moment. He added that even though they showered frequently, he was disappointed to note that, other than that, personal hygiene was limited to deodorant after a game. 

 

Jared pointed out that was the gayest thing he had ever heard Jensen say, Jensen agreed and said he had been practicing. The two men then proceeded to fall to the floor, laughing so hard that breath was difficult to find.

 

It was easy times like this that cemented a friendship long before they ever moved into a relationship.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

**Now**

 

Jared stood still in the kitchen, his eyes locked on Jensen’s, noticing dark circles under his eyes and strain bracketing his mouth.

 

“So," he began tentatively “You own half of AG”

 

“Yeah, Sarah and I set it up together about three years ago”

 

“Why is it a big secret?”

 

Jensen had the grace to blush and shuffled his feet a little “’cos I don’t do admin, and marketing, and publicity, and all the associated crap. Code is where I’m at. Sarah takes the helm, and the heat and leaves me to code. It isn’t really a secret, we just like it to remain here so people don’t get in my face.”

 

”I see” said Jared, although he clearly didn’t if his frown was anything to go by.

 

“So I read the papers, this company is valued at what? $200 mill?”

 

“Yeah, around that, on paper, not in the bank”

 

“And Streets was the one responsible for this huge valuation”

 

”Yes, but if streets 2 isn’t released I’m sure the valuation would drop”

 

“So financially you would be out of pocket” Jensen sighed at this

 

“No Jared, I wouldn’t. I have enough money for me and the next twelve generations of my family, locked away, invested, if 2 doesn’t go live then financially I wont be hurt, neither will Sarah”

 

Jared cursed himself for not having had the time to research AG and seeing the financial connection to Jensen before he arrived.

 

“So who does stand to lose”

 

”Financially? Staff I suppose if AG were to fold, which is highly unlikely given the strong sales of Streets and the other projects we handle. Other than that we lose face for not bring Streets 2 to Beta soon enough, so from an industry perspective that could be damaging.”

 

Jensen lifted the tray of coffees “We’ll talk more” Jared said calmly, even though inside he felt a bundle of nerves.

 

“I know." he seemed to hesitate and then drew a deep breath and decided to plunge straight on in. "Jared, for what it is worth, you never actually gave me a chance to explain” Jared’s eyes froze and he drew his lips into a tight line.

 

“Jensen, tell me that what I saw, you and him, what you did, tell me that wasn’t real” Jensen blanched; trust Jared to get to the heart of it.

 

“I can’t, it was real” he started sadly “But Jared there were reasons why - ”

 

“Jensen I am here to do a job, not wallow in what might have been nor listen to your pathetic whining one moment longer”

 

And with that Jared opened the door to let Jensen out and stalked back to the waiting team, itching to get on with stage two.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

**Then**

 

Halloween came and went, thanksgiving soon after and when Christmas was done and the new term had started there was a subtle shift in the JensenJared friendship.

 

Jensen revealed that Andrew was a complete bastard who had got off with three different men at New Years, Jared agreed that Andrew Barclay was quite clearly the biggest slut on the planet and that Jensen was better off without him. 

 

On the first day back Jared proceeded to drag an unwilling Jensen to the nearest bar, ordering a bottle of tequila and two glasses and then poked them in a corner so they could quietly get shit faced out of the way of prying eyes.

 

“I told him - ” Jensen waggled his finger dramatically “I told him that he was a barshtad and that he was using me for my body”

 

“Wadeesay” Jared slurred back, slumping comfortably into the corner

 

Jensen snorted “My brains” that so made sense, not.

 

“Brains?” Jared was really trying to concentrate but it just wasn’t working, Jensen was so damn pretty …

 

“Yeah, brains, parrently brains is what I got” Jensen nodded proudly

 

“Yeah, know tha man, me too” Jared added at the end loudly and equally as proudly

 

“said rich” Jensen mumbled almost incoherently

 

“Huh?”

 

“I gonna be rich”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Wants money, not my body”

 

“Okaaaaaaaay?” Jared was so not following this, and damn why did the table keep moving, it was making him dizzy.

 

“says notworthwaitingfor” Jensen ruined the drama of the moment by belching loudly, the two juveniles sniggered, belching was clearly the funniest thing ever, next to farting.

 

“notworthwaitingfor” Jared repeated, still not totally getting the point

 

“Yessum, don’t want my body, just my money, could be years, he said, years”

 

“M’okay” Jared sorta, kinda, getting it now, a bit.

 

Dramatically Jensen leant forward, grabbing hold of Jareds t-shirt and twisting his hands into it.

 

“Wassa mattawimy body” he demanded almost incoherently.

 

“Nothin man” Jeez fuck, Jensen’s lips, so close “nothing”

 

“Its hot, m’body’s hot”

 

“It is”

 

“It’s hard, and fit and strong” almost a sentence

 

“Pretty” Jared blurted out “pretty eyes, pretty lips, hips”

 

“nah you… pretty…your hair allsortafloppy” Jensen tried to reach for Jared’s hair but decided better when the room started to spin.

 

“Don’tfeelgoodman”

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

**Now**

 

ITech was buzzing.

 

The core programmers were sat at a round table, congratulating themselves for getting one over on AG and Jensen bloody Ackles.

 

Four men, all of whom knew exactly how Jensen had been screwed and reveled in the fact that it was ITech and not AG that had the monopoly now on the new Ackles graphics engine.

 

One man, more than most, sat in a closed office on another floor, with a satisfied weight in him. His hatred and revenge had permeated the whole of ITech even though they didn’t know it. 

 

People didn’t question the motives behind the espionage, just celebrated the success.

 

One man who lost it all, and now was getting it all back.

 

Satisfaction.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

**Then**

 

Somehow the two idiots managed to get back to Jensen’s house and with some help from the tall guy, who Jared knew now was Tom, they both managed to reach Jensen’s room.

 

Jared could obviously hold his tequila better than Jensen, because he didn’t spend an hour with his head down the toilet. No, he just spent an hour asking Jensen if he was OK and wondering if it was dirtybadwrong to perve on a man’s ass when he was bent over said toilet.

 

Jensen wandered back into the room, sliding bonelessly down onto the bed and shuffling over against the wall.

 

“Staysleep” he muttered almost incoherently, Jared complied, not sure he could remember how to walk anyway, and they spent their first night together in a bed.

 

When Jensen woke the next morning he decided someone needed to dial 911 as he was quite clearly dying. He must have had a brain explosion during the night, cos it hurt, really hurt. Hammers pounding at his skull in a carefully constructed rhythm.

 

“Urggh” he said as he tried to roll on his back realising he was pinned down by octopus arms.

 

“Wassa” came the not so coherent reply “water” the voice added.

 

“I am never…” Jensen stated firmly but softly because talking hurt “… never ever drinking ever again”

 

“Meneither” Jared replied wincing at the sun in his eyes.

 

“Shower” Jared released Jensen from his vice like grip and tried to focus as Jensen still fully clothed and kind of sick smelling stumbled into the shower.

 

“Me next” Jared mumbled in to the pillow

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

**Now**

 

“I’ll need access to the source code, and logs of any transmissions, I’ll need full access to all email, cell phones, or any other electronic devices, memory sticks, Ipods, Everything. I’ll need a space to work from and really, at the end of it, free reign to audit”

 

Sarah sighed sadly. She knew she had to say yes, but violating her staff’s privacy was scaring her a little. Desperately she looked at Jensen, unnerved by the dead look in his normally expressive green eyes. He just stared back at her blankly.

 

“OK, full access is what you will get, we’ll need to set you up for the iris recognition and Jensen will need to give you access to the security protocols. You can work from the office across from mine - ”

 

“If it is all the same to you I would prefer to work from a station on the floor with the staff” Sarah looked puzzled but assumed Jared knew what he was doing.

 

“OK, we’ll sort you out a station. Is there anything else?”

 

“Staff files, I need all of the staff files”

 

”We have over 250 staff Mr Padalecki” This from a clearly irritable Jensen.

 

“Ok, lets thin it down to start with, to those people with direct access to Streets 2”. Jared was not rising to Jensen’s shit. He knew how to do his job.

 

Directly to Sarah he asked, “is that going to be a problem?”

 

“No, no problem” She cast a worried look at Jensen “We just want this sorted”

 

“Lastly I’ll need security clearance for my colleague” He paused “Andrew, Andrew Barclay”

 

Jensen’s eyes shot to his, Andrew?

 

_What the fuck?_


	4. Chapter 4

**Then**

 

The project was going really well. Jared thought so and Jensen seemed to agree. They had structured and had hard coded as much as they could. They needed to move to testing, and it was for that reason they had decided to meet on Friday at Jensen’s for Chinese and beer. It was to be an special evening - hours of coding and planning and sweating over lines of moveable code. 

 

What was really sad, Jared had commented to Jensen when planning the evening, was that two young guys in their prime thought that testing code constituted a good evening. Jensen just laughed and raised his eyebrow enigmatically, it’ll be fun, he promised, hugging the younger man to his side and ignoring the whistles from Jared’s biology girls.

 

The self-same girls that had taken Jared under their wings, and now included a somewhat bemused Jensen in their gossip circle.

 

I’m gay, not a gossip girl, Jensen had pointed out to Jared. Jared just smirked and reminded Jensen that girls were better than sweaty jocks, Jensen reluctantly agreed and for that Jared just laughed. Jensen was so shallow.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

**Now**

 

The office on the fourth floor of ITech was far enough away from the sweating masses to become almost an isolated box from the real world.

 

The young man sat in the growing darkness of the evening drawing in, an amused smile twisting his face, as he swung round and round in the plush leather tall backed chair..

 

As he had done so often today, he ran immaculate fingers down the code he had printed sitting in his lap. He reveled in its mastery, in it’s flow, in the sheer perfection of its poetry. 

 

Jensen Ross Ackles was king when it came to gaming and he still couldn’t for the life of him understand why the sap hadn’t seen it earlier. If only he had put up with him for a few more months he could have been sharing this with Jensen. Instead to see anything from the bastard that had destroyed him he had to steal it, remove it, reuse it.

 

Jensen would learn. Jensen would know. Know that what he did 5 years ago would have repercussions that would destroy him and as a side benefit would take the Padalecki kid as well.

 

His cell phone rang a familiar tone.

 

“Hey” he answered forcing a smile in his tone “Wassup Jared”

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

**Then**

 

Friday came around so damn quick. Jared wasn’t sure if it was the excitement of a full on coding testing session, in which case he was a geek, or whether it was the excitement of spending alone time with Jensen, in which case he was a fool.

 

It was a difficult thing to admit but for some weeks now Jared had been crushing on his mentor. 

 

It was a scary place to be.

 

So many innocent touches.

 

Jared was one of the most tactile people, but his touches were nothing compared to the gentle touches from Jensen. A hug here, a poke there, a tickle somewhere else. Jared seemed to walk round with a semi permanent hard on all day. Again and again he thanked the makers of loose shirts. He blamed Jesen's freckles, and the hair, and the body. But most of all the eyes. The beautiful, deep, sharp, knowing, emotional green eyes. He dreamed that those eyes would one day see what was in Jared’s heart, saving him from angsting so hard over how to broach the subject with Jensen, to no avail.

 

Jensen was his friend, his best friend, apart from liking rival basketball teams they had so much to share. Important stuff. Like passion for code, and gaming, and laughing at stupid things that would make others cringe. They had silences in conversations that were not awkward, they were a team. Jared had to be honest with himself, he was totally blown away by Jensen, he only wished that Jensen could see it.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

**Now**

 

Andrew bounded into the offices of AG, stopping only briefly to set up the iris recognition protocols with a guy called Ed. Now this was gonna be fun.

 

A round of introductions from Jared and he finally faced Jensen, his nemesis, his destroyer, his lover, his victim.

 

“Jensen” he said formally, extending his hand, which Jensen took briefly

 

“Andrew”

 

“How have you been?”

 

“Well, thank you. You?”

 

“Well. Working for Jay here keeps me on my toes”

 

“I bet” then uneasy silence

 

“OK guys, Andrew and I need to start working.” Sarah nodded briefly and indicated a free workstation they could sit at. 

For the next 5 hours Jared and Andrew poured over papers, lists, code and numbers, muttering to each other and every so often casting looks the way of Jensen and his team. 

 

The normally focused team were just kind of milling about, not quite knowing what to do. It was Sunday, 9pm, they were codeless and life generally sucked.

 

“You can go home” Jared said carefully and Trixie and Ed immediately departed. Jensen released a gruff “I’m staying” and Sarah just went back to her office to hide.

 

The tension was palpable and Jared could swear that Jensen was boring holes in the back of his head.

 

He admitted to himself that it must have been a shock to see that Jared had hired the very person in the middle of their break-up at MIT, as an employee. Andrew Barclay, architect of Jensen’s downfall and the final death knell to his and Jared’s shaky love affair.

 

Jared had hired him for the simple reason that he was good at what he did, could see code in a similar way to Jensen. Perhaps not with the same uncanny natural instinct, but still almost as good. Jared needed Andrew if he wanted to offer the kind of service he was now undertaking for AG. 

 

Jensen would just have to deal.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

**Then**

 

Jensen was apprehensive about tonight. He was caught in the same dilemma as Jared; between excitement for code and excitement for Jared being here with him.

 

Tonight he decided he was going to come clean with the feelings he was having for Jared, it had taken some time to come to this conclusion, but if he had one more evening in his vicinity without kissing him senseless then he was gonna go mad.

 

Telling him could go one of two ways. Jared could freak and run, end of. Or Jared could return the feelings and they could get some horizontal action in, easing the ache that Jensen had in his trousers on a daily basis.

 

Jensen knew which he was praying for.

 

On the nose at 7pm, Jensen let Jared and the Chinese in and pulled him up the stairs to his room, ignoring Tom’s smirk as they crossed in the hallway.

 

Shutting and locking his door he breathed a deep sigh of relief watching Jared rooting about in the Chinese food cartons making pornographic noises in his throat at each new dish he discovered, every noise sending shock waves to Jensen’s dick.

 

“I like, er, bought one of everything” Jared said, sitting cross legged on Jensen’s floor, and looking expectantly at Jensen “Sit man, eat”

 

“Uh huh, food” Jensen replied and slumped to the floor grabbing the nearest carton and shoveling it’s contents in his mouth. Food. Food out of the way, and then they could talk.

 

“You OK Jen?” Jared looked concerned, he had never seen Jensen eat any beef dishes before and had got the feeling he didn’t like it, yet there he was eating the beef like there was no tomorrow.

 

“Cool dude” Jensen spoke round a mouthful of something a bit spicy and a bit chewy.

 

“M’okay” Jared said swallowing rice and drinking beer and generally making a huge mess of sauce on his fingers and his face.

 

“What are you Jared? A kid? My nephew makes less mess eating than you do”

 

Jared looked down at his chilli sauce splattered top and smiled wryly.

 

“You have a bit… a - ” Jen paused pointing to his own mouth and Jared mimicked the action with his own thumb collecting chilli sauce and sucking on his thumb to collect every drop, half closing his eyes at the bliss of taste on his tongue.

 

jesusfuckholyshit

 

Not a word. Jensen said not one word.

 

Just dropped his beef back to the floor and knelt up inches from Jared who just stared frowning into Jensen’s eyes. Jensen reached into Jared’s carton and lifted a piece of chilli chicken between fingers, lifting it to Jared’s lips, watching as full lips parted to take the chicken from Jensen’s fingers. Jensen paused, running it over Jared lips before placing it onto Jared’s tongue, watching as Jared chewed and swallowed, still with his eyes on Jensen, pupils blown and desire screaming for release. 

 

That just left the chilli sauce on his sinful begging-to-be-kissed lips, Jensen could so help with that. Rising he cupped Jared’s face in his hands. He lowered his head and softly kitten licked the chilli sauce, starting at the heat, the texture the flavour, that was both chilli and uniquely Jared. His tongue touched Jared’s lips tentatively, softly, and warmth started to fill Jared, his eyes closing, his breath gasped and shallow.

 

He parted his lips and closed his eyes, no tongues, just lips, mouths open, exchanging breaths. Jensen’s hands hot and tight on his face.

 

Jensen’s tongue touched inside and Jared moaned, tentative, searching, gentle. Sucking Jensen into him. They sat for ages exchanging kisses, warmwethot.

 

Jensen pulled back and then moved, straightening Jared’s legs and straddling them, his lips back on Jared’s in a instant, against Jared, pushing hard, grinding, still kissing, still tasting, tilting his head for better access, burying hands in Jared soft hair. 

 

Jared pushed back, rotating his hips up, sucking at Jensen’s tongue, pulling at his hips forcing him close, grabbing at elusive contact. Jared explored Jensen, ran hands over muscles and curves, pushing under Jensen’s t-shirt, and feeling warm heat under his fingers, he moved them higher, finding hard nipples and caressed them, pulled, swallowing Jensen’s groans into his mouth.

 

Motivated by the groans Jared pulled and twisted feeling Jensen grinding down into him, losing himself in the heat.

 

Jensen dropped his hands, pushing up under Jareds top, copying what Jared was doing to him, running his hands up and down Jared’s hard defined chest and abs. So soft, so smooth, so hard.

 

Harder he pushed into Jared’s mouth, his dick insistent and against Jared’s, matching a rhythm in their heads, a rhythm in their bodies, as they pressed against each other. Jared could feel orgasm climbing, rutting hard against Jensen, losing it against his best friend, desperately he pulled back from Jensen’s mouth grabbing at air

 

“Jen, I’m gonna … Jen, I’m sorry I - ” and then he flew, his orgasm hard and blinding and white hot.

 

“Jay” was all Jensen said, totally wiped out with Jared losing it under him. “Jared” and silently, forcefully, Jensen came in his jeans the hardest he had come for months, years, ever, slumping against Jared and holding tight.

 

”Fuck” he breathed against Jared’s neck, tasting sweat and heat and licking and biting open kisses on browned skin. “do you know how long I have wanted to taste you, how long I have sat and forced myself not to ask you to fuck me, to lick me, bite me, push me, have me begging”

 

“Shit Jen” Jared groaned, arching his neck against the bites and sucks “Not as long as I have wanted you, to taste you and open you with my fingers and then fuck you till you scream my name and beg me to make you come”

 

Where had those words come from, where had the filth bubbled from, Jen was driving him to an insane madness.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

**Now**

 

Jensen watched Jared carefully, watched Jared and Andrew talk in low voices, wondering just what was being said.

 

He didn’t deserve Jared’s trust, he had broken him.

 

And Andrew? Why was Andrew with Jared? How did that happen? How many more knives could Jared drive into Jensen’s heart?


	5. Chapter 5

**Then**

 

They sat, Jensen still across Jared’s legs, losing each other in kisses and moans and every so often whispered words.

 

“How long?” Jensen prompted

 

“How long what?”

 

”How long have you wanted to make me scream?” Jensen smirked as he asked and Jared sighed knowing Jensen wouldn’t leave it until he got an answer.

 

“Since I watched you and Andrew …” He tailed off using his hand to indicate etc etc.

 

“Hmmm” Jensen replied knowingly. Leaning down and capturing Jared lips in a soft kiss, his tongue darting in to taste him, soft sighs of completion mingling between them.

 

“And you?” Jared prompted smiling

 

“Since the day I fixed it so I would be your mentor” Jared’s eyes widened, and then he relaxed, with a laugh.

 

“You did that?”

 

“Well Andrew wanted you, said he’d looked your file over and saw your potential”

 

“Ex boyfriend Andrew?”

 

”Casual fucks Andrew”

 

“Mmmm, well I for one am glad you managed to fix it, despite now knowing you were just after my brains”

 

“What else is there?” Jensen smirked, dropping a kiss against Jared’s neck, biting and sucking into the heated skin causing Jared to squirm. Suddenly the urge to mark Jared became an overwhelming need and he bit and sucked harder, knowing the blood would rise to the surface and bloom into a sign of possession, Jensen groaned as Jared arched into the pain, the Chinese long forgotten, the coding a distant memory.

 

“Fuck Jensen” Jared forced out, dragging Jensen’s face to his “I need to touch, can I touch you?” Jensen rose a little in Jared’s lap in answer and Jared fought to open snug jeans, desperate to get his hands on Jensen. 

 

He was wet from earlier, wet and hard, and hot, so hot ,and Jared grasped the heat and the length and twisted and pulled and grew impossibly hard against the seam of his own jeans. They sat that way for seconds, minutes, Jensen riding the incredible need that was consuming his every thought until it became imperative that he had his hands on Jared, that he touched Jared, tasted him.

 

Tearing his lips from Jared’s he forced out words of need and desire “Jared, please, I need to see you, let me see you”

 

”Fuck Jen, stand up” and then laughing and struggling they managed to stand and helped each to removed clothes until they stood naked opposite each other. Jared could actually feel his mouth watering with a need to taste Jensen, a desire so sharp it was like a fist to the stomach and in seconds he was there.

 

Pushing Jensen back to the bed, sitting him down and then dropping to his knees between Jensen’s spread legs finally where he wanted to be. For a while he touched and discovered and each noise of appreciation he made echoed in Jensen’s moans “Your mouth … your fucking mouth … on me” Jensen managed to force out and almost whined when Jared closed his lips around him, lips and teeth and tongue as he swallowed the length, hollowing his cheeks, sucking him down. On the bed Jensen curved over Jared pushing hands into his long soft hair, tangling the hair into sharp points of pain that went straight to Jared’s dick. So close, I’m so close, no, want you, up here, need you, with me

 

“Jaaaay” Was all he managed to say, all he managed to force out, using his hands in Jared’s hair to pull him off and up, forcing him to climb up Jensen’s body and lay them both back on the bed. Still not removing his hands, knowing it must hurt he pulled Jared’s face to his, catching his mouth in a bruising kiss, lips and tongues fighting for feeling, for dominance.

 

Their groins aligned, dicks sliding hard against each other, a sudden dark heat as they found a rhythm. Jared’s hands digging into Jensen’s hips where he knew he would leave bruises, making his own mark.

 

Moving one hand Jared closed it round both of them, jacking them slowly, swallowing gasps and moans and wantmorenow into shared breaths.

 

Jensen lost it first, his fingers a punishing, tightening grasp in Jared’s hair, coming hard and hot between them, with Jared not far behind, biting his lip hard enough to draw blood and falling over the edge with a muffled cry.

 

They lay still, wrapped in each other, as Jensen carefully extricated his loose hands from Jared’s floppy mop of chestnut hair, both breathing heavily, unwilling to move.

 

“Fuck” was all Jensen could say; Jared had lost the power of rational speech entirely and just pushed into Jensen’s neck kissing softly at the bruises he had made and willing his breathing to slow down. 

 

Life was good.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

**Now**

 

Jensen was far from happy with this situation, it was bad enough that Jared was here but to add Andrew as well, well that just floored him. 

 

After everything that happened how could Jared even contemplate hiring the guy? And if he had forgiven Andrew then why couldn't he even look Jensen in the eyes? What made Jensen different? Surely after all they shared they should be able to at least find some common ground? 

 

Jared hardly moved well in to the night, drinking coffee like no tomorrow and digging deep into files and code that Jensen had logged onto the server. Sometimes he needed passwords, a few times he needed pointing in the right direction but in the main he was silent. Jensen was mirroring the process, but in the paper backups that he had meticulously printed at the end of each day. That involved sitting on his hands and knees in the safe room and, given the lack of sleep he had had the night before, he was really finding it hard to centre on what was going in. 

 

Sarah popped her head in the door a few times, armed with coffee and reassuring smiles but at the end of the day she had no idea what was going on. She knew games, she knew marketing, she dealt with the face of AG, the side that Jensen didn’t wasn’t any part of, but all this 'stuff' this was just a confusing mass of letters and numbers. At four in the morning, and looking slightly worse for wear she actually spoke to Jensen when she put her head round the corner.

 

“Jared thinks he may have found something”. she said with an spark of hope in her eyes. “He wants to speak to us.” Jensen scrambled to stand, wincing at the aches in his legs and back and rubbing his face with tired hands.

 

“What? What has he found?” he asked fast and specific

 

“I don't know, but he said he needed to speak to you, to us”

 

When Jensen arrived back in the main office it was to find Jared sitting alone his forehead furrowed and his mouth set in a hard line.

 

“Jensen” he started, looking up and meeting Jensen’s troubled eyes. “I found the mouse, Jensen, it was you that altered this code.”

 

Jensen blanched, the mouse. A tiny circle and squiggle that Jensen added to his code in random places to mark the code as his. A trademark. People knew that, and Jared had found this trademark in amongst the layers of code in the programme amendments.

 

“Jay…” he began to defend himself “… it wasn’t me i didn’t - ”

 

“I know” Jared replied tiredly, “I know it wasn’t you. I can see your code and then I see this whole layer of new code, slid in after the deletions, sloppy and awkward, not your code, but with your sign on it. I know it wasn’t you. I mean that is really all that I have confirmed so far, it doesn’t lead us to a solution but it does mean I cross you off the list.” I was on his list?

 

“So where does that leave us?” Sarah asked

 

”It leaves us with a programmer familiar with Jensen’s code, and not just the surface code, but the core of it, the graphics engine itself. When we find who knows this, then we find the person who has sold you out”

 

“So who do you know that can create this code?” said Sarah doubtfully, not entirely sure she knew what the two of them were talking about.

 

“I can”, Jared said simply, “I can code this” Sarah’s face dropped, it would have been comical to see, if the situation wasn’t so important.

 

“Jared can”, Jensen confirmed, “the whole graphics engine is built on core code he created”

 

“We created Jensen, our code”

 

“Yours” Jensen reiterated stubbornly

 

Sarah was struggling to follow this “What do our mean yours?” she asked puzzled.

 

Jensen shrugged, his face carefully blank, “the original code, way back when, was a project Jared and I had worked on together at MIT”

 

“But you have it? You use it, is there some future law suit I should be aware of here?”

 

“He signed it over to me” Why Jared, why did you do that? I still don’t understand

 

“I didn’t want any part of it” Jared snarled

 

“It was beautiful”, Jensen said insistently

 

“It was flawed”

 

“No”

 

“You knew it was flawed” Jared’s face was thunder

 

“I didn’t know, it wasn’t flawed, we tested - ”

 

“You - “ Jared paused, an anger burning in his hazel eyes. “Andrew … fuck …”

 

Jensen was speechless at the anger in Jared’s eyes. It was the most perfect code, flawless, perfect; he couldn’t understand what Jared meant. And Andrew? What did he have to do with the code?

 

“Enough. We need to track the alterations to the very first layer, the core, that is where will find our answers.” Jared turned to Sarah “ I also need to check through security footage for the last week, timed for the iris recognition programme”

 

“I wrote those security protocols”, Jensen offered quietly

 

“Then you are the best person to see what may have been tampered with.” And with that Jensen was dismissed as Jared turned his back to him.

 

“Sarah I need you to start whitling down staff closely involved in the project. I need a list of ex-staff, anyone who has a grudge against AG and i think more importantly against Jensen himself”

 

“What? You mean besides you?” she enquired, confused at the hostility between her business partner and the security expert.

 

“I don’t have a grudge against Jensen.” Jared stated simply I have nothing. I feel nothing, no grudges, no hate, just nothing

 

Sarah watched carefully, not quite sure what was happening between these two men, but finding herself intrigued nonetheless.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

**Then**

 

Life was good.

 

Physically, Jared had never experienced anything like Jensen. Although they hadn’t gone entirely the whole way, they were so damn close it hurt, and they couldn’t get enough of each other.

 

The biology girls took it in turns to comment on just how cute they were as a couple and inevitably turned the fairly shy Jensen bright red. Jared loved watching his boyfriend go red; loved having a relationship that wasn’t hidden like those fleeting clandestine meetings he had had back in Texas. Despite his family and close friends being aware, Texas was so not the place to push loud and proud.

 

Mentally they were so alike; both good with computers and what drove them. Whilst it was Jensen who recognised the beauty and poetry of the code they wrote, it was Jared who had the analytical eye. Together they were a flawless team. Word of their project preceded them and a buzz began to spread around the campus, spreading out from the IT geeks and passing into Biology, Chemistry, Physics …

 

The two Js had something special, something about making graphics better in games, some programme or something. Most of it was way above campus gamer’s heads but apparently this thing had the potential to revolutionise gaming.

 

MIT was used to the best and the brightest, but something shone when people saw the Js together, possibility.

 

And in two months time, Jared would be presenting the work as his first year final exam and people had started to get excited about it already.

 

Everyone that is except Jared himself, who was starting to get anxious, and despite any reassurances that Jensen gave him, he was quite frankly scared.

 

“What if we run out of time for testing?" He said several times "We shouldn’t spend so much kissing and shit, we should be testing” … was kissed away in an instant by a completely supportive Jensen. Jensen who felt that pushing his boyfriend back on the bed and covering his body in kisses was the answer to every problem.

 

And when kissing and biting and sucking turned into the most incredible blow job Jared had ever experienced? Well testing just went straight out of his head.

 

Andrew was another thorn in Jared’s side, it was a given that he was good at what he did. He showed nothing but happiness at the Js relationship, despite Jared thinking privately that he had so lost out on Jensen’s frankly quite amazing blowjobs.

 

The thing was, Andrew had quite literally been where Jared hadn’t and he was unsure why Jensen was reluctant to take their own relationship that one step further.

 

That was the reason for their first argument. Jared used Andrew in the argument and Jensen just closed down. It was like a trigger word or something.

 

”What Andrew and I had was just fucking, just quick and dirty and a release. What we have is nothing like that.”

 

“Still Jen, I can’t understand why. I mean if we both want it, let’s just go for it”

 

“I don’t”

 

“Don’t what?” Jared was so not following this conversation.

 

“Don’t want it” Jensen said finally.

 

Jared stood, his mouth open, totally stunned by what Jensen had just said.

 

“You … you don’t want it? What? Ever?” Jared sounded comically horrified. 

 

Jensen slumped visibly and turned to his desk dismissing the discussion. “I don’t wanna talk about it” he said, almost coldly.

 

“Jen, I love you, it wouldn’t be just fuckin' …” Jared begged, this cold Jensen scared him.

 

Visibly pulling himself together, Jensen turned to face Jared, his features carved from stone. “Just go, Jared, I’m serious, take your romantic notions of fucking and just go”

 

“Jen”

 

”I’m serious, just leave me alone”

 

And borne on disappointment and anger, Jared did just that. 

 

He left.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

**Now**

 

Andrew watched the two men carefully, Jared hadn’t indicated anything of their old relationship and Jensen was just quiet.

 

When Jensen next stood up heading to the kitchen Andrew followed at a discrete distance with the excuse of helping, Jared didn’t even look up.

 

Moving in to the kitchen behind Jensen he pulled the door shut behind him.

 

“Hey Jenny” Jensen didn’t move, he kind of knew that this chat was inevitable as soon as Jared pulled Andrew into the equation

 

“How you doing?”

 

“What you mean besides having the last year of my life stolen from me?” Jensen tried for dry and calm and looked at Andrew steadily. He could try the professional approach, pretend none of it had happened.

 

Andrew moved in closer, crowding Jensen in the corner, attempting to intimidate the shorter man, grasping his wrist and squeezing tight. Jensen’s eyes widened, this wasn't professional, this was personal.

 

“Still like it rough Jensen?” What? What the fuck?

 

“I never liked it rough Andrew, you just wanted it rough”

 

“Coulda’ said no Jenny” Jensen pulled his wrist from Andrew’s hold.

 

“How would that work? When you had me so drunk I’m not sure I would have been capable of saying anything, least of all no”. Temper flared in his voice.

 

“Drunk or not, three men in one sitting, well that kinda blew me away. Didn’t know you had it in ya”

 

Jensen blanched pushing both hands against Andrew’s chest “Fuck off” he said firmly “Just fuck off”

 

He pushed past Andrew and left the kitchen without coffees. He hid. Hiding away in an old office full of files and desks. Hiding, as revulsion and self-pity warred for dominance in his head.

 

Back in the kitchen Andrew smiled to himself. 

 

He had had Jensen

 

And after today, he would have Jared too.


	6. Chapter 6

**Then**

 

The next two days after the argument passed in an alcoholic blur for Jensen. He knew he had hurt Jared, but for the life of him he couldn’t understand what was now stopping him from actually talking to the guy. 

 

Why he couldn’t just come out and say “Jared, thing is, the last time I had penetrative sex it was with Andrew, and I was way past drunk, and he wanted it rough, and I couldn’t stop him, and it was my fault because I was so drunk, and he hurt me, he tore me, and I needed to heal and I still don’t feel right now”

 

Screwed, totally screwed. Thing is, how was he dealing now? By losing himself in the same drink that had led to the pain before. 

 

None of this drinking was going to solve the fact that despite loving Jared, he wasn’t ready to take their relationship to the next step. Because if he tried, then he would break down, and in doing so he would reveal what a pathetic excuse for an adult he actually was. What had happened with Andrew was shaping Jensen, challenging him as a man, but he wasn’t ready to let Jared know. Once he had worked his way through, then he would talk to Jared and beg his understanding, beg his forgiveness, tell him he loved him, go that final step. He just hoped Jared would wait.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Andrew watched Jensen’s fall with whiskey and tequila with a satisfied fascination. He didn’t know what had finally pushed Jensen back to the drink but it so meant that now was the time to drive a wedge between his boy and the pretty freshman that was warming his bed, and get him back under his control where he belonged. 

 

It only took three phone calls to sort the plan out.

 

The first to a few friends who just knew how to have a good time and wouldn’t ask questions.

 

The second to a guy he knew who had the most amazing shit that sent you sky high

 

The third to a hesitant Jared who kind of completely fell for concerned Andrew. He explained Jensen was devastated by their argument, but couldn’t bring himself to speak direct, and would it be possible for Jared to come over, say 8ish, for a deep and meaningful chat. Jared was so easy, falling for it in the space of seconds and almost pathetically quickly agreeing that yes, Jensen and himself did need to talk.

 

7pm came round so quickly and Andrew had never felt this level of excitement running through his blood before, he had been hard all day, almost salivating at the thought of pounding into Jensen, missing his cries and screams from their last encounter like he would miss a limb. It was so pathetically easy, calling round for a textbook, the apologetic stance, the understanding friend, and the pill in the whisky, the sudden slurring of Jensen’s words.

 

When he was buried in Jensen, pushing in dry, forcing his head down onto pillows, revelling in Jensen’s muffled cries, losing it so damn quickly, and pushing him off only long enough to let in the three friends, gesturing at the bed. “All yours” he said calmly, and left the room.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Jared arrived a bit early and spent ten minutes pacing outside the house. He knew for certain he loved Jensen, wanted Jen so desperately to be in his life that he would take any crumb. Even if all Jensen could offer was friendship. He was prepared to beg, to apologise for anything he may have done, perhaps he had pushed too hard, he didn’t know, Jensen was his first serious relationship, and Jensen was older and more experienced. Pacing helped.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Jensen was lost in his own head, he didn’t know what was happening, his body not his own. He knew he wasn’t alone, could sense people around him, touching him, pulling him, tasting him, forcing him to taste. He knew he was crying, could feel tears on him, on his face, grief pulling itself from his heart. Jared, Jared. He tried to call out, tried to focus, to scream, or something, but nothing worked, nothing came out.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Jared knocked the main front door and Tom opened it, frowning as he stood aside to let Jared in, he didn’t say anything, he never did talk a lot, but Jared saw surprise in his eyes at the same time as he heard banging and crashing from upstairs. Jared smiled at Tom uncertainly and then started upstairs, not his usual three at a time but a sedate grown up two. Pasting what he thought was an innocent, accepting, understanding smile on his face and knocked on Jensen’s door. It sounded like he was in there moving furniture or something and Jared pushed the door open.

 

What Jared saw was horrific and raw. His Jensen with three other men, and he stood like stone. One of Jensen’s partners saw him at the door and moved Jensen’s face to look at him, Jared saw a fucked out face, pupils blown, mouth open, tears of bliss, and he felt a silent scream build in his throat as he turned and ran.

 

Jensen felt his head turn and he saw Jared, his gentle giant, his face creased in misery.

 

_Jared, help me, help me_

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

**Now**

 

The sun was up and Ed had turned up with bacon sandwiches, coffee and doughnuts for breakfast, with Trixie close behind. Jared inhaled his food as he continued to work only pausing to send Ed and Trixie to the archives on the first floor and Sarah home for a few hours rest before settling in for more checking and sourcing. 

 

Jensen couldn’t bring himself to eat anything, the sickness he felt in his stomach eating away at his insides.

 

Andrew had disappeared with instructions from Jared to drill down the security protocols and Jensen felt a weight lift from his shoulders as he watched him leave the room. He looked over at Jared briefly, willing him to look up and smile. Nothing.

 

This was all so fucked up. If they didn’t discover something in the next 12 hours then ITech would claim the first and last for the graphics engine, as AG would never hope to find proof it had been stolen. The AG beta launch was suppose to be this evening and unless they found something soon….

 

Jensen wasn’t worried about the money. Money had never been a motivator in Jensen’s life; it had been the biggest argument provoker when he was with Andrew, however briefly that had been. It was the reputation of AG, the pride of the whole company that was on line here. The whole project was on Jensen’s shoulders and once again in his life he was feeling like he was letting people down. Sunk in misery he didn’t realised Jared was stood next to him until he spoke and it made him jump as he looked up with a guilty expression on his face.

 

“Jensen” Jared repeated patiently “I wonder if you could spare me some time in the safe room with the print outs?” Jensen nodded and stood up sharply knocking over the remains of his coffee and watching in a daze as it spread across the desk. He gasped and then reached over to steal Trixie's Aloe smelling tissues and wiping the residue away. Jensen swore Jared said something but couldn’t for the life of him make out what he said, as heat rose in him in a deep flush of embarrassment. Jeez, one second in Jared’s presence and he reverts to an idiot.

 

When they reached the safe room Jared pulled the door almost shut behind him. It shouldn’t be shut the entire way as it electronically locked from the outside and was controlled by computer, nevertheless the fact that Jared had pulled it too, was a signal to Jensen that Jared wanted to talk privately.

 

“Jensen, can you dig out the prints for the 21st” Jared was deadly serious and hovered anxiously as Jensen rooted through printouts and flicked through dated pages. He found it and passed the file over to Jared.

 

“What are we looking for?” Jensen asked curiously

 

“I’ll let you know when we find it.” Jared replied mysteriously and continued to run a finger down lists and lists of code and notations. Suddenly his finger stopped.

 

“Here” Jensen leaned in, line 45,099, Jensen’s little mouse notation on the line above. “Tell me what you were trying to achieve here.” Jensen screwed up his face in concentration frowning and reading above and below the single line of code that Jared indicated.

 

“It’s not mine, he finally said, realising that what he was saying was true “It’s definitely not mine.”

 

“I know it isn’t yours” Jared said simply. Suddenly Jensen was irrationally angry.

 

“How Jared” Jared looked startled at the anger in Jensen’s voice. “How, do you know it’s not mine? How do you know I didn’t sabotage the whole programme? What makes you, after all this time, think that I have any shred of honesty left in me?”

 

“Jen” Jared looked horrified at what Jensen said, “Jen, I know your coding, that was the one honest thing you had. I know that it would take a lot to make you compromise your code” Jensen felt bitterness well up inside him

 

“What you mean unlike us? How I compromised us?”

 

“Jensen, I … look this isn’t the time to talk about this, we have like half a day to crack this and no time for petty drama” Jared was starting to look pissed and Jensen was close to exploding a the words Jared used. Sensing the violence that was building in the room both men pulled back, and Jensen tried to refocus on the code, a sigh forcing it’s way up from his chest.

 

“Jensen, I have a question for you”

 

”Shoot”

 

“Firstly, you are telling me that these files, all your coding is held on the one internal server with no access to or from outside”

 

“Yes”

 

“So no one is able to obtain access from outside of this building”

 

“No, that is standard as you know, no firewall is entirely 100% hacker proof”

 

”And the security protocols you have in place in this building, did you give Andrew full access to them when I asked you” Jensen frowned

 

“Of course” . Not that he wanted to have that bastard’s hand all over his systems, but yes he had.

 

“Do you still mirror the backups, like we did at MIT with our project” Jared asked, knowing it was a unique situation to, in effect, back up the backups of the backup, but something Jensen had done religiously.

 

“Yes” Jensen said uncertainly, kind of realising where Jared was going with this.

 

“Can you bring that mirror up in here?” Jared gestured toward the screen and keyboard at the side of the room

 

“Yes”

 

“Then do it, call up everything you have for the 21st, someone clever enough to tamper with your code will probably have hacked your security protocols, all internally. They just wont have known about your backup paranoia”

 

Great now Jared thinks I'm paranoid as well as a slut

 

Jensen sat in the seat next to the screen and keeping a weather eye out for Jared’s movements around the room, remembering clearly his inability to sit still, unless Jensen sat on him. Jensen smirked and Jared leapt on the smirk “Did you find something?”

 

Kind of freaked at the way Jared was now hovering Jensen just cast an impatient eye back at him

 

“No, hang on a bit”

 

Keystroke after keystroke, password after password, Jensen delved deeper into the security backups, passing the level that Andrew was scanning and moving into the grey area that only he had access too. All too soon they were there and started scanning at midnight on the 21st. Four windows open with four views, front door, iris scan, main server room and the office that his team sat in to start with.

 

They both spotted it at the same time, a face they recognised, and looked at each other.

 

Jared felt his stomach drop, he had trusted him, interviewed him, allowed him access to Padalecki securities.

 

Jensen felt sick.

 

Andrew’s face

 

“Inevitable I suppose” a voice behind them, they both turned as one. Andrew stood inside the door a gun with a silencer in his hand and a sneer on his face. Jensen moved to stand up but Andrew gestured him to sit down.

 

“Andrew, what the fuck?” This from Jared

 

“So boys, who do I shoot and who do I leave to watch the other die, hmm?” Andrew moved the gun between them, stopping on Jared. Jared felt Jensen start to move praying he would stay seated.

 

“You,” Andrew started, laughing softly, “the young upstart. For three years I had it so sewn up with Jensen here, but you came along and that was it, all the potential for money from his work and I saw it slip through my fingers. All those wasted years pretending I wanted his vanilla ass.” Slowly he moved the gun to Jensen and Jared cast worried looks down at the older man who sat impassive.

 

“You, you and your fucking brain, and your idiotic ideals, and your petty declarations of affection. All lost because of Jared fucking Padalecki and his fluttering eyelashes, and his tight ass. God it was so easy to bring that one crashing down, pissed out of your mind already, one roofie and you were gone, you were fucking begging for it” Andrew paused, a manic hate in his eyes. “Three years I waited and look … the graphics engine is mine. ITech have paid over millions to me for that, and I consider you and AG well and truly screwed.”

 

“Andrew…” began Jensen holding up his hands

 

“Fuck you Jensen Ackles” and the gun fired, a soft whooshing sound that made nothing of the violence it wrought.

 

Andrew left and pulled the door tight shut, security clicking into place deadbolts sliding home, lights off, the only illumination the flickering computer screen.


	7. Chapter 7

**Now**

 

Jensen looked down and raised his eyes to Jared who stared back at him in absolute horror; pain bloomed behind Jensen’s eyes as he dropped his hands to catch the blood that started to pulse from his stomach.

 

“Jared” Jensen tried to say, but no words came out just a silence, a deathly silence. If he weren’t sitting he would be on the floor. Shit I'm gonna die, fucking, shot ... and then blessed numbness started to spread from his stomach where the bullet had ripped into him, outwards and upwards, until his brain simply started to shut down in terror and fear.

 

Separated this way from his physical body, he didn't feel Jared catch him under his arms as he slumped, but part of him knew he needed to hold keep his hands pressing against where the bleeding was, trying to hold the blood in him, failing as it oozed over clenched hands. Words flowed over him Jen, Jen, Jeez, Fuck Jen, not now, Jen and he desperately tried to say it was OK, the he was OK. 

 

Jared closed his arms around the older man at the very moment that Andrew pulled the door closed an overwhelming feeling of his hate and despair permeating the room

 

Jeez Jared think … injuries inflicted by bullets … directly related to the bullet's kinetic energy … a measure of the bullet's weight, velocity and gravitational trajectory … depends on what a bullet encounters … …exit wound …cause less damage than one which stays in the body … check for exit wound .. fuck … blood at the back … so much blood … pushed into the chair … a mark in the chair … lift his shirt … thank fuck an exit wound … lay him down … stop the bleeding … I remember Reservoir Dogs … Tim Roth … stomach wounds hurt like fuck … but it’s a slow death …OK breathe, breathe … OK, slow death gives me time … slow death I can stop.

 

Jared gently helped Jensen off of the chair and onto the floor, tears in his eyes as Jensen screamed in pain, his hands not moving from the blood, his eyes open and fixed on Jared, his mouth moving trying to form words that Jared couldn’t understand.

 

Pulling his shirt over his head he pushed up at Jensen’s hands forcing them away from where the bullet had entered, Jensen struggled weakly trying to push Jared away ... need to keep the blood in.

 

“Jensen stop, fucking stop, let me see” Something in Jared's voice broke into Jensen's shock and he allowed his hands slick with blood to fall away. Jared gagged as he looked at the torn flesh just above where he assumed Jensen’s appendix would be, and ripping his shirt in two he balled the material and applied pressure on the wound, Jensen arching up, his mouth open in a silent scream of pain. The other half of the shirt he pushed under and up at the exit wound. Holding them in place a weakness assailed him, what the fuck now, kinetic energy for fucks sake, none of his science geekery was helping here.

 

He tried his cell phone, attempting to push button with fingers slick with blood. Shit no signal, of course not stupid, what else?

 

The computer. Get hold of Ed and Trixie, Sarah, get help. Supporting Jen he leaned down next to his ear, “Jen, your screensaver password man, I need your password” Jensen’s eyes closed his lips drawn together in a grimace of pain, his face devoid of colour, he mouthed something but Jared couldn’t hear. “Jen, Jen man, try and help me”

 

“shilchil” Jensen murmured pushing the words from his mouth with force, biting at the pain radiating from his middle as it started to push back the numb feeling.

 

“Jen, please” Jared put his ear next to Jensen’s mouth and listened through the harsh panted breaths that Jensen was taking, gasping in air, clearly shocky.

 

What Jared heard was so faint, almost inaudible but it rocked him back on his heels.

 

“OK man, OK” gently he lowered Jensen’s head to the floor and scrambled to the computer watching the screensaver, knowing he only needed the screensaver password to get to the very bottom security layers they had been investigating before Andrew appeared.

 

Breathing harshly he tried to type but his fingers wouldn’t work, and he wiped the blood from them on his T-shirt, breathe, breathe, calm down … chillichicken … Enter, a flicker of screen and, thank fuck, the main security screen. His hands flew across the keyboard as he listened to Jensen’s breathing grow less harsh and more shallow and needy.

 

It seemed like hours but finally the safe door opened with a whoosh of air and light. Blinking at the bright light searing into his eyes Jared ran and fell out of the door to the nearest phone, 911, help, please help me.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

**Then**

 

Jared didn’t know how he finished the day let alone the week, horrified and shocked at what he saw. He was thankful for Andrew's help. He hovered solicitously on the edges, commiserating with Jared at what Jensen had done to him

 

“I thought he just wanted to talk man”

 

"I'm so sorry Jared, I am sure there is an explanation"

 

“He always has had a drink problem that is why I couldn’t stay with him”

 

“He’s on a self destruct, such a waste of his brains, such a waste of potential”

 

Jared heard the poison, but saw it as comfort, and nothing else came close to filling that part of him that Jensen had ripped out.

 

He didn’t see Jensen again, word on campus was that a family emergency had called him back to Texas and that MIT had taken his results and actions to date into account, Jensen graduated by the skin of his teeth. Andrew didn’t know anything about Jensen and even if he did Jared didn’t want to hear. 

 

Jared himself defaulted on his last project but was given an extension to complete a replacement over the summer break.

 

And as for the coding that Jensen and him had worked on? Well Jared bundled everything, the code prints, the discs, the hierarchy, all into an envelope and asked the office to forward the whole lot to J Ackles assuming they had a forwarding address.

 

In the parcel he put a simple note with a full list of contents and intent:

 

_FAO Jensen Ackles._

_The enclosed items, as detailed on the attached list, are the sole property of Jensen Ross Ackles, Richardson, Texas. All intellectual property rights remain with J Ackles._

_Jared Padalecki_

 

Jared couldn’t bear to think about it. Didn’t want to touch it. It was as flawed as Jensen himself and he had no room in his heart for it.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

**Now**

 

The paramedics were there quickly, as were a scared Trixie and Ed who hugged and cried as they waited, watching Jared cradling Jensen’s head on his lap, trying to stop blood soaking past the makeshift pressure pads, tears rolling down his face and murmuring nonsense in a broken voice.

 

You need to leave him now sir, we’ve got him ... changed quickly to I need … I want … hospital … shouting … calm … peace … Jared still on the floor curled against the wall his head in his hands.

 

“Jared, Jared, what happened?” Sarah’s voice “The police … Jared”

 

“Andrew. Andrew shot Jen … stole the code, sold it”

 

“The police Jared, they need to speak to you”

 

“OK, OK”

 

It took forever; it took minutes, Jared had lost the concept of time, but finally, finally, the cops left a blindsided Jared.

 

Ed took him by the arm and led him into the bathroom off of the office and handed him a clean T-shirt emblazoned with AG Games and with the proviso that it was probably too small but it was better that a t-shirt covered in blood. To which Jared finally looked down at the blood on him, Jensen’s blood.

 

“I need to get to the hospital”. He said simply

 

“OK, clean up and I’ll take you”. Jared half smiled at him gratefully and then stripped the wet cold T-shirt off and dropped it in the sink, watching as it crumpled slowly and lay still.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

**Then**

 

Jensen sipped at the coffee, Sarah sitting beside him, tapping impatient red varnished nails on the folder on her lap.

 

“Relax,” he said gently

 

“Jensen I can’t, what if the money is a no, what if the venture guys aren’t interested in us”

 

“They’ll love us Sarah, love us”

 

“I only hope you are right, otherwise AG will never get off of the ground”

 

They left two hours later, funding secure and AG Games started from rented offices, started from hope and Jensen’s desperate urge to leave his past behind him.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Jared Padalecki

 

The name was clear and crisp, and Jared was enthusiastically cheered up on the stage to accept his degree. 

 

With the degree in his pocket and borrowed money from his parents he set off to make his mark in the world. After year one at MIT, and much to the disgust of his tutors, he had changed his specialty and used his mastery of code to fall into a security role. One he actually and rather surprisingly, to him, enjoyed. 

 

He would never try to create raw code again.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

**Now**

 

Jared arrived at the hospital, Sarah not far behind. Jared needed Sarah, she was listed as an emergency contact and there was no way he was missing out on seeing Jensen for one more minute.

 

The cops had an APB out on Andrew who seemingly had disappeared off the face of the earth, probably with his millions wired safely offshore.

 

Whatever.

 

Jared would find him, it was what he did, and Andrew couldn’t hide from computers forever.

 

They were finally let into Jensen’s room, after reassurances that it had been touch and go, but yes, losing him on the table when trying to patch him up, was really as OK as it got. They said as calmly as possible that they had done all they could but it was the next 24 hours that were critical. 

 

They doped him up to keep him artificially unconscious and added that time would tell.

 

So many wires, but Jensen looked strangely at peace, his freckles standing out starkly against white skin. Jared and Sarah sat in silence until finally Sarah said that she needed coffee. Jared looked at her blankly.

 

“Sarah,” he suddenly blurted out as she rose to leave “Sarah I have something for AG” he started “I know it is too late for Streets2 but …” he paused “the engine we worked on, the core of Streets, was flawed. We both knew that, it worked but it was flawed” Jared stopped, dropping a hand to Jensen’s, feeling where the drip needle entered it, his eyes prickling with tears. “We can fix the part that was flawed ... we can make the engine better … we … we can make it better”

 

“We’ll talk Jared, later, when Jensen is awake and able to talk to us”

 

“When he wakes up”

 

Neither of them said _if..._


	8. Chapter 8

**Now**

 

Sarah could not fully understand why Jared wouldn’t leave Jensen’s side. 

 

She got the impression that maybe they had had some sort of relationship back in the days of MIT, but just as strongly had a gut instinct that whatever had happened had ended badly.

 

Jensen had never mentioned a Jared, nor spoke much of his time at the prestigious East coast University.

 

What made it worse was that Sarah felt it was her role to be Jensen’s friend and protector; after all she had been doing it for five years. 

 

It wasn’t Jared’s role to ask questions on Jensen’s behalf, and push doctors and hold Jensen’s hand. A tiny part of her was irrationally consumed with jealousy that she wasn’t in any position, to tell this younger man, to just go away and leave her and Jensen alone. 

 

She wasn’t in that position, because if she was honest with herself, she could see something in Jared’s face; in the way he held his body, his eyes alert and watchful. She could see love, compassion and shock and couldn’t for the life of her categorise the quality of pain Jared was obviously feeling at the moment.

 

He had spoken to the police about what had happened, what the two men had found; the evidence pointing to Andrew, the amended code, the leads all pointing one way. He told them calmly and dispassionately about the gun, and the shot and the closing door. 

 

He explained that he had tried to remember what first aid he knew, whilst at the same time engineering a way out of the locked airless room. Sarah heard a slight hitch in his voice but only because she had been watching for it, she doubted anyone else would have picked it up.

 

“Jared” she asked quietly, her voice only just rising over the hushed beeps and noises of the equipment keeping Jensen alive. Jared looked up at her expectantly, his eyes unfocused and his hair hanging loosely over them.

 

“Jared, what did Andrew say to you in that room?” Jared visibly blanched and dropped his eyes to focus on the hand he held in his.

 

“Some personal stuff” he finally said, shrugging and then slumping back in the chair.

 

“Not to do with AG?” she pushed carefully.

 

“No, nothing to do with AG; about Jensen at MIT and … and me … and Andrew’s hatred for me … and his disappointment in Jensen” Jared closed his eyes, shaking his head gently.

 

“His disappointment?” She didn’t understand “What made him shoot, Jared?”

 

Jared frowned, still not looking up.

 

“Like I said to the police, he wanted to shoot one of us and let the other watch the injured man die”. Even said so very, very, quietly, the heaviness of what he had spoken was too much for Jared to bear, and silent tears began to push from his eyes, still so tightly shut.

 

“Jared… do you …” Sarah coughed, as her own tears started to push their way to the surface “… do you know why he chose Jensen?” Jared’s face screwed in misery and he hid behind a large hand. When he spoke his voice was broken.

 

“Because Jensen is the only one who could explain to me, tell me what happened back then, he wanted to destroy my one chance at knowing why”

 

Sarah just nodded; she didn’t even begin to try to understand what Jared was saying. The passion and pain with which Jared spoke was enough. She placed a hand gently over his and Jensen’s as they lay clasped on the stark white sheet.

 

“I don’t know you Jared … one day I hope I will … I have you to thank for Jensen’s life and I will forever be grateful.” She paused “I don’t know you, but I know Jensen, and whatever has happened here …” she gestured at the breathing tubes and wires about her business partner “he will need both of us to get through the other side”. Jared thought he heard a note of confrontation in Sarah’s voice, but chalked it up to heightened emotion.

 

“He’ll have us … both of us”

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Jensen slowly fought his way back to consciousness, to a sea of white and wires, to the smells of hospital and the soft muted sounds of two voices and beeps from machines.

 

Do you know why he chose Jensen?

 

Because Jensen is the only one who could explain to me, tell me what happened back then, he wanted to destroy my one chance at knowing why

 

I don’t know you Jared, one day I hope I will, I have you to thank for Jensen’s life and I will forever be grateful … I don’t know you but I know Jensen and whatever had happened here … he will need both of us to get through the other side

 

He’ll have us … both of us

 

Jensen struggled to speak; in his head he spoke clearly and asked what had happened, where was Andrew? But the words came out as little more than a whisper. He tried to move his hand, which was hot and heavy, and all he managed was a small twitchy movement. It was enough.

 

“Jen?” Jared’s voice, “Jen, Sarah, ring for the doctor, I think…”

 

Blessed peace as he relaxed his muscles, each one soft as candy, a gently thrumming in his body and a trickle of ice in his other hand accompanying his slide to unconsciousness.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Jared sat as still as stone, not taking his eyes of off Jensen. When the older man had showed signs of coming too, Jared’s heart had leapt at the thought of speaking to Jensen, seeing his jade eyes full of life. But the doctor had insisted on pumping more painkillers into him and his Jensen had slipped away from him for what he was told would be at least another two hours.

 

An orderly had bought coffee and after negotiation with the enforced guard on the hospital door had managed to hand both cups to Sarah. Nurses came and went, checking vitals, making notations on medical notes. No one seemed in a particular hurry and the frustration was eating Jared from inside.

 

Sarah excused herself and arrived back ten or so minutes later, carrying what looked like a laptop case.

 

“Here” she said softly, unzipping the bag and passing him the laptop. “Start looking Jared, find him for me, for Jensen, for you”

 

Jared nodded, powered the laptop and noticed the wireless strength; somehow Sarah had gotten him into the hospital broadband provision on a laptop emblazoned with a screensaver of Brad Pitt. 

 

The world was his oyster.

 

Sarah placed a gently hand on Jared’s shoulder, but all she said with a cold finality was “find Andrew”.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

The drugs coursing through Jensen’s body didn’t allow him to dream, but coming out of the drug-induced haze was his version of a nightmare. He felt so thirsty, so trapped, in so much pain and his body was not his own.

 

“Ja - ” he pushed from his chest, every nerve ending on fire, a terrified desperation within him. Panic washed over him and he felt sickness rising “Jay”

 

He sensed Jay in the room, other people in the room, manhandling him over a bowl, as he was sick again.

 

It’s the drugs

 

Can you stop with the drugs?

 

We’ll lower the dose

 

Jensen can you hear us? Jensen?

 

Jen, calm down, Jen I’m here, Sarah’s here, you’re gonna be OK

 

Jen hold my hand, hold my hand

 

A confusion of sounds, bible black behind his eyes, in his head “Jay”

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

No one had warned Jared that watching and being with Jensen would be so raw. In the movies people woke up from coma, from enforced coma, from injury … they just woke up. 

 

They had no side effects from drugs, no sickness, no screaming, no begging, no pleading. 

 

Tears marked his face and he realised that Sarah had left the room. Somewhere in the confusion he seemed to recall a nurse had helped her out; Sarah bent double in grief and shock. He wasn’t going to leave Jensen for one minute to find out where she had gone.

 

It seemed like days but apparently Jensen was finally on the way up, his vitals looked good, and he was stable. The doctors had switched the meds to something less aggressive, promising Jared that this was standard procedure, and reassuring him that Jensen’s next foray into consciousness would be less technicolour, less raw, less passionate. 

 

For several minutes Jared just sat, gripping Jensen’s hand and murmuring nothing important so that Jensen could hear he was still here.

 

He spoke of tracking programmes that his company had developed, that even now were searching for a trail leading to Andrew. He swore to Jensen that he would find him. He swore that he would kill Andrew himself if Jensen didn’t come round soon.

 

All nonsense-speak, but real solid words that he hoped Jensen could grip hold off.

 

Finally Jared sat back down, as cramp crippled his hunched back, and retrieved the laptop. Plugging in the power supply he settled back to wait for the next moment of consciousness that Jensen would give them.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

The final time Jensen managed to claw his way out of the darkness and pain, Jared was there, holding his hand and talking, comforting, warm words.

 

“Hey Jen, you back with us?” Jensen tried to nod, one word on his lips

 

“Thirsty” he said quietly, his throat burnt and raw. Another hand placed ice chips against his lips and the feeling of cold and moisture was bliss.

 

“Hi Jensen” Sarah’s voice

 

“Huh” was all Jensen could get back.

 

A nurse came in at Sarah’s request and checked Jensen’s chart, nodding with satisfaction at the numbers on various screens. Pronouncing Jensen good before leaving.

 

Sarah and Jared grasped hands and hugged. Step 1, Jensen is awake.

 

Sarah felt relief flood her at the same time as a rising panic in her, started to take over and she needed air, now.

 

“I’m gonna give you two time” she said, on the verge of a meltdown and ignoring Jared’s concerned looks backed out of the door, a forced smile on her face.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

“Hey Jen, how you feeling?” Silly question

 

“M’kay” yeah right

 

He had been awake for ten minutes and his words were less slurred, more measured.

 

“You scared me dude” Jared said softly, still holding Jensen’s hand, gently moving his thumb, tracing patterns on the pale freckled skin.

 

“Uh huh”

 

“Do you remember what happened?”

 

“Found him on the cam’ras” Jensen’s words almost ran together, indistinct and hard to make out.

 

“Yeah”

 

“In safe room” Jared’s fingers tightened briefly “fuck, shot me … you OK?”

 

Jared smiled gently “Yeah man, I’m not hurt”

 

“I need to tell you …” Jensen’s voiced rasped; “I didn’t know, I thought it was me …” Jensen coughed, wincing.

 

“Jen, we’ll talk later, it’s fine, I know, I know”

 

Jensen sighed softly, letting his eyes close, long eyelashes sweeping his face. 

 

He slept

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Jared took a shift swap with Sarah, who was looking a lot fresher and less white. He had phone calls to make, the first to his own head office.

 

“Padalecki Securities, how can I help you?”

 

“Maggie, it’s Jared”

”Jared, oh my god, how are you? How is it going up there?”

 

“Fine Maggie fine. Listen I need to call in a few favours, can you take a note and sort it out for me?”

 

“Of course, of course, go ahead”

 

Jared succinctly listed his needs and requests, and knew by the end of the day he would have the tools he needed to finish the hunt.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

It was day eleven when Jensen, who was growing more cranky and miserable every day, was finally declared fit enough to be released. Released into care, but released nonetheless.

 

“I can manage on my own” he griped as the doctor refused to sign him out without knowing he would be looked after “I’ve lived on my own for six years - ” he started but stopped as he felt Jared squeeze his hand reassuringly.

 

“He’s coming home with me,” Jared said

 

“I am not, I am gonna - ”

 

“He. Is. Coming. Home. With. Me.” Jared emphasised firmly and simply. Jensen just sighed, mumbled something under his breath, and tried snatching his imprisoned hand from Jared’s grip, failing rather spectacularly given he was lacking energy.

 

“Fine” he grumbled irritably. “Fine”


	9. Chapter 9

Dosed on painkillers, Jensen slept for eighteen hours straight when they arrived at Jared’s house. Jared had settled him into the main bedroom, knowing the bed was comfortable in his otherwise spartan house and had watched Jensen fall asleep almost immediately.

 

He spent the time in his office, sprawled comfortably in his big chair pulling information together, making calls, calling in those favours. As he got closer and closer to an answer he could feel the pull of excitement inside him.

 

Getting close.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Jensen raised himself up in bed, wincing at the pull in his stomach and breathing through the aches.

 

“Jen”, Jared’s voice whispered in the dark and Jensen eased himself to look down at a drowsy Jared lying next to him on the other side of the Jared sized bed. “You alright?” Jared’s voice sounded sleep and husky.

 

“Yeah … bathroom” Jensen replied. Jared moved to help but Jensen waved him back “m’kay” he said and step by aching step he made it to the en-suite bathroom leaning on the wall and doing what he needed to do. It still hurt to go, but it was getting better every day. Flushing, he looked in the mirror as he washed his hands, wondering at the face in the mirror, the gaunt face, and the exhaustion, features blurred in the half-light. 

 

Jared startled him by moving up behind him in the mirror

 

“Jeez man” Jensen breathed. Jared smiled.

 

“Sorry” he said softly “just worried”

 

He let Jared help him back to bed, not that he really needed to be helped, but hey, he wasn’t gonna turn the help down. Gently Jared guided him to the bed, murmuring something low and helping him to sit, before moving round to lay beside him.

 

“Sharing a bed then?” Jensen enquired, Jared shifted uncomfortable.

 

“Well… this is like the only room I have a bed in” he admitted, embarrassment in his voice, “I’ve only been here two months, just haven’t got around to buying beds.”

 

Jensen smirked, typical Jared. Flinching he lowered himself back down to the bed and snuggled back under the covers, sleep dragging him under.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

The sun breaking through gaps in the curtains was what finally pulled Jensen from dreamless sleep to an empty bed and a glass of water with associated painkillers. Jensen felt comforted by Jared’s thoughtfulness, and swallowed the tablets in one go, before swinging his legs out of bed and gently placing his feet on the floor. 

 

So the pain in his abdomen seemed less this morning, interesting. Less tight, looser. Very interesting development. Maybe it was getting proper sleep, without being prodded and poked by the nurses from hell every four hours, that made him feel so much more rested and at peace. He could smell coffee and bacon, a combination guaranteed to get him moving and within minutes he was in the kitchen dressed in a pair of Jared’s sweats and an old MIT t-shirt he had found in a drawer.

 

“We need to get clothes for you” Jared smirked and Jensen just smiled ruefully.

 

“Good morning to you too”

 

“Sit, eat” Jared encouraged placing a cup of coffee next to a plate of bacon and pancakes in front of a now seated Jenson, who proceeded to virtually inhale it all in one go … the first real food he had had in days.

 

Satisfied, and cradling a new cup of coffee, he sat back in the chair.

 

“I’ve erm..” Jared wasn’t really sure how to bring this up, for fear of dredging up memories that Jensen wanted to remain hidden.

 

“Spit it out dude” Jensen pushed

 

“I’ve been erm… working on some stuff” Jared stopped.

 

“Informative” Jensen pointed out wryly, starting to feel a bit nervous.

 

“Can I … can I show you?” and he stood gesturing out of the kitchen door.

 

“Lead the way” Jensen wondered just what it could be that had Jared like a cat on hot bricks, almost bouncing down the hallway and through the end door.

 

The door open to a large office and Jensen recognised the cutting edge workstations, and machines, some of the screens silent, some bright with scrolling code.

 

Jared gestured to a desk chair and slumped into his black chair. 

 

”So I have been doing the usual; some tracking, some financial stuff, and I’ve pulled in few favours”

 

“To do what”

 

“To erm … track down Andrew, or if not Andrew, then at least his money” Jensen just sat, astonished. It was what he would have done if he had been well, but still, for Jared to raise his head above the parapet, that was a shock. Why would he expose himself again to Andrew? Jared watched Jensen’s expression turn from shock to horror.

 

“He’ll know it was us”

 

”Well, yeah, me anyway, he may not know you survived, and there aren’t many of us around who can do this, I mean we’re better than he is – he didn’t hide his trail very well”

 

“He’ll … he’ll come back” There was a definite waver in Jensen’s voice “Jared, he has a gun”

 

“What else do we do Jensen? However we play this, it is inevitable that, one day, he’ll try and finish what he started” Jensen frowned, even though what Jared said made sense. “Let’s take away his money and see where it leads” Jared added dramatically.

 

“I don’t know …”

 

“Jen, it has to be both of us. I for one don’t want to hide and wait, I wanna bring him out in the open and with the millions….”

 

“Fine, we’ll do it” Jensen said decisively. “We’ll take his money … how much?”

 

“$4.7 million in total, spread over quite a few accounts, all to be donated anonymously between eight different charities … if I select start” Jared indicated the nearest keyboard.

 

“Go, before I change my mind”

 

It was a simple instruction for such a large sum of money, but at the press of the enter key, streams of code flew up the screen with numbers and letters and bank details, and in the space of twenty seconds or less it was finished.

 

“Done” Jared breathed softly. It felt like the most momentous decision ever made.

 

“Jared …” Jensen hunched forward in the chair “…we need to talk”

 

“I’m sorry” Jared blurted out suddenly “I’m sorry that I didn’t see, that I didn’t stop, and rescue you, save you, I’m sorry that I let him do that to you” Grief edged his voice, an agony that was cutting deep in his heart, and Jensen just didn’t know what to say. Instead he stood up and crossed to Jared, straddling his lap, hoping the chair would take the weight of two fully-grown men. Gently he lifted Jared’s chin so he could look into his eyes to see them swimming with unshed tears.

 

“Jared” he said softly, encouragingly, “Please know that there was nothing you could have done. I let my own insecurities and my own low self esteem drag me to letting Andrew in that night, believing his poison, taking drink from him”

 

“But Jen, I looked in your eyes that night and I …” I never saw the plea in them for help

 

“Jay, I want us … no I need us … to move past that …if you want to that is”

 

Jared looked at him blinking earnestly “Oh god yes Jen, I wanna try to move on, to help you forget”

 

“It’s not gonna be easy” Jensen replied cupping his hands to Jared’s face which had creased in a sad frown “No Jared, listen, the memories, dealing with them, that’ll be easy, I’ve forgotten already, it’s part of my past and in a way it made me grow up.” He paused dropping a light kiss on Jared’s lips “The hard part, will be forging a new relationship, with all the dating and the talking, when all I really want to do is to let you take me to bed” His voice grew progressively more possessive and low as he spoke, and his hands moved up to curl into Jared’s soft hair. Jared dropped his hands down behind Jensen’s back and he tightened them briefly watching carefully as Jensen winced at the pressure. Jared smiled concerned at the older man’s look of disappointment.

 

“We’ve waited this long Jen, we can wait a bit longer”

 

Jensen groaned, wondering if he was being punished for something, as the evidence of his arousal, just from talking, pushed against his sweats.

 

“Can we make out then?” Jensen said hopefully, grinding himself down in Jared’s lap, pushing past the aches and pains, focusing on the pressure against Jared.

 

“What?” Jared said smirking “Some kissing, some feeling, some touching”

 

“Yeah and some … ermmm … whatever” and he pulled Jared the final few centimetres to deeply kiss him.

 

It was like a match to kindling, the heat that simply exploded between them. Jared spread his legs, which forced Jensen to tilt forward, falling in to Jared’s chest and then they kissed, just kissed. Deep soul searching kisses with whispered apologies and endearments. A pleasure so keen that Jensen tumbled over the edge like a horny teenager on a first date.

 

“Jeez Jared” he whispered against Jared’s mouth and pushed his hand between them, cupping Jared through his jeans “You” he muttered.

 

“Shower” Jared returned and lifted Jensen up and off of him, adjusting his hard on with one hand and grasping Jensen’s hand with the other. “Shower”

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

The first message arrived 10 minutes after Enter was pressed.

 

The cell phone beeped and he delayed reading it as he was enjoying his massage in a very sexual way.

 

When he did look, it wasn’t with horror, just mild concern. 

 

Banks were useless, what did they mean when they said a transfer of $107,000 has been actioned as per his request. He smirked, $107,000 was small change now and they would have to pay interest on their cock up.

 

The second text came a few minutes later, and then the third and the fourth in quick succession.

 

And then it hit him.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

The water was warm and Jared had stripped bandages and helped Jensen into the shower before climbing in himself. It took seconds and Jensen’s hands were on him, finishing what had started in the office and leaving him boneless and sated.

 

“I’ll give you 5 days Jen, 5 days to heal”

 

“I’ll do it in 2”

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Andrew had two credit cards in his new name, ordered some time ago, both with limits big enough to get him back to Jared Padalecki.

 

He was sure to realise that Andrew wasn’t going to let this go. 

 

He would know he was going to come back for him. 

 

Andrew could play the game; he was far from stupid

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

It was actually three days, the longest most sexually frustrating three days of Jensen’s life. Added to that there was no sign of Andrew, despite everyone watching for him. Tension was high.

 

Little things were winding the two men up and every small touch between them was like fire in the blood. Jared was being so damned solicitous, so polite, and so bloody careful and Jensen was starting to feel like a girl.

 

In the end it was Jensen who took matters in his own hands, quite literally.

 

“Jared” he called from then bedroom, adding a small note of panicked desperation in his voice “Jared”

 

He heard Jared thundering up the stairs, his usual three at a time, skidding to a stop at the bedroom door, a horrified, amazed look. Like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

 

Jensen lying naked on the bed. Naked. Hard. His hands slipping up and down himself. Supplies to his side. And a needy wanton expression on his face.

 

“All better” he said encouragingly.

 

“All better” Jared replied hesitating, until he saw Jensen arch into the movements and groan under his breath. In seconds he was naked and kneeling in front of his lover, his boyfriend, his friend. His hands immediately moving to the pink puckered skin of his bullet wound scar, touching gently, looking for signs of discomfort in Jensen’s eyes. All he saw was a depth of green he had never seen before, sparking and banked fires behind them.

 

“Jensen I want you to know, I would have waited for ever” he said, his hazel eyes dark with determination. Jensen blushed at the heat in Jared’s voice and he nodded, I know.

 

Stealthily he kissed his way up Jensen’s body from his knees to his lips, avoiding Jensen’s hand stripping his hard heavy length to a rhythm in his head.

 

He paused at hips, biting small marks into them, marking him as Jared’s, and moved up kissing and sucking at sensitive skin, dropping a small kiss on the scar, his breath gentle on the pain Jensen had suffered. Fingers closed on nipples, twisting and pulling and he sensed the rhythm of Jensen’s movements speed up as his lover dropped his head back in a noiseless open mouthed moan. 

 

He stayed on the nipples for a long time, his own dick brushing against Jensen’s hand every time he moved causing both men to suck in deep breaths. Jared reached up and stole every breath from Jensen, battling tongues and lips in a rough brutal exchange of kisses. He knew how close Jensen was, could feel how tense his muscles were, hear the soft moaning that reminded Jared of stolen moments in college, and just once, just once more he wanted to see Jensen lose it because of Jared just touching. He bit his way down Jensen’s neck, nibbling and sucking and licking the small hurts

 

”Come for me” He whispered, demanding, brooking no argument “Come for me Jensen” and at that moment in time Jensen had no choice arching into his hand and coming hot over himself. Jared was lost, lost in the noises Jensen made, lost in his beautiful face as it tensed and relaxed in orgasm, lost.

 

Kneeling back he gathered up the release from Jensen’s toned flat stomach and moved his hand behind Jensen pressing against him, using his come to rub around him, watching as Jensen came down from his high. Coating his hands in the gel Jensen had left next to him he pushed in one finger, two, three, scissoring, smoothing, opening his lover up for him, watching for signs of panic or pain. Nothing. Just a satisfied smirk as his fingers found the sweet spot, a smirk that made Jared laugh to himself.

 

“I wanna see your face Jen” he whispered urgently “but I’m worried about - ”

 

“No I wanna see your face too” he responded quickly, the smirk quickly turning into a frown, which Jared immediately kissed away.

 

“OK, your way” he breathed gently reaching over and grabbing a condom, tearing the wrapper and rolling it on to himself smoothly trying not to touch himself too much as he was close. Jared was so hard it was hurting and he begged the gods that he didn’t hurt this beautiful man lying under him.

 

Capturing his lips in a soft kiss he moved to enter his lover and it was so easy. He stilled “Jen?” he asked, looking at blissed out eyes

 

“Move Jared, move” and he did. He tried to last as long as he could, and pass the spot inside Jensen that caused him to rise off the bed. He wanted Jensen to lose it again, wanted it so bad.

 

“Jay, Jay” Jensen pulled his lover down to him, tongue fucking him, his orgasm building low in him, bubbling and rising and so … so … close “Harder - ” he demanded in a groan, the sudden depth as Jared moved harder and deeper, pushing Jensen to his second orgasm of the night with Jared losing it inside him.

 

“I fucking love you Jensen”

 

“I love you too … I need a painkiller, man”

 

And then they laughed. 

 

Just laughed and snuggled and talked.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Three miles to the west he sat in his rented car, the last use of his fake Ids, and the gun hard and metal on his lap. Waiting for dark was killing him but it really was the only way.

 

The only thing that kept him going as he sat waiting, was the thought that Jared had had to watch his boyfriend bleed to an agonising death in front of him.

 

He may have lost the money temporarily, but that thought there?

 

Now that made him smile.


	10. Chapter 10

The proximity alarm that Jared had had installed let them know someone was in the house.

 

It woke Jared first and then very quickly the dozy, painkiller fed, Jensen.

 

“Remember what we said Jen” he whispered

 

“I still don’t like it”

 

“If he thinks you're dead he’ll only be expecting me, if he thinks you're alive but in hospital then he’ll only be expecting me. Either way, you know and I know ,that he’ll think it was me that moved that money.” Quickly he captured Jensen’s lips with his own. “Please stay here and wait for the security team to realise we’ve been compromised”

 

“Jay”

 

”Please” Jensen nodded his face ashen, and as Jay made to move the older man grabbed his hand. “Be careful”

 

Now it was Jared’s turn to pale as he looked one last time into jade eyes that were wide with fear. All he could do was nod back, swallowing the urge to stay. Quickly he stood up and moved to the bedroom door, listening carefully, grasping at the baseball bat Jensen had insisted he take with him.

 

It’s not like your Van Damme

 

Nah I am way hotter than Van Damme

 

If you're Van Damme then I'm a ninja

 

As slowly and as stealthily as he could he turned the hall corner, testing the grip on the bat and breathing as quietly and deeply as he could.

 

He made it half way down the stairs, all the time praying that security were indeed answering the proximity alarm call. As he crept down he heard the gun, the safety and stopped.

 

“Drop the bat Padalecki” Andrews voice was crisp and clear in the dark and his disembodied voice didn’t seem real. “I said, drop the bat” And with that he moved out of the hall shadows and into the faint glow cast by the streetlights through the side window. For the first time in two weeks Jared saw the madness that was in Andrews eyes and the gun that backed that madness up with brute force. Jared dropped the bat and it clattered down the remaining stairs to land at Andrew’s feet. In disgust he kicked it away.

 

“Been expecting me?” he asked grinning, his white teeth bright in the gloom, his mouth twisting into a sneer.

 

“Yeah” Jared said, although he was sure Andrew wasn’t expecting a reply. Andrew gestured with the gun.

 

“Computer” was all he said “time to get my money back”

 

“It’s gone, man, all over”

 

“As I thought, but hey you have money, I’ll take me some of that”

 

“Its not - ”

 

“Enough. Computer”

 

Looking as defeated as he could, Jared walked the remaining stairs and passing Andrew felt the gun in the middle of his back on his spine. He led him to the office, wondering how much time had passed since the proximity alarm had alerted security, hoping they would be here soon.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Jensen listened from the bedroom, his heart in his mouth and his hands shaking with fear. Unconsciously his unsteady hands moved to his scar as the awful finality of the bullet to his gut pulled him back to moments before he was shot. 

 

Andrew still had that gun. Andrew could shoot Jared. Jensen could lose Jared. He couldn’t just sit here and let Jared die. Perhaps if Jensen revealed himself to Andrew, then it would take the focus off of Jared and on to him. Besides Jared and Sarah he really didn’t have a lot in his life, Jared had family that still loved him and accepted him for what he was. On the weighing scales Jensen knew Jared was worth more. So.

 

What do I do?

 

How can I change this?

 

Where are security?

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

“Sit” One word backed up by the pressure of the gun forced Jared to his desk

 

“Do it … every penny” Jared logged on his fingers fast on the keyboard and he tried to slow down otherwise he’d be dead before help arrived.

 

“Interesting security system you have here Padalecki” Jared felt his stomach free-fall but didn’t move a muscle. “Didn’t take much for me to bypass it so the alarm was internal only” Still Jared said nothing, although his fingers hesitated briefly, Andrew noticed; he’d been watching for the pressure to start ramping up.

 

“So, did Jenny cry when he was dying? Was he all ‘sad’ that he’d never have his unrequited love affair with his Jay? Did you hold his guts in as he bled out?” Such delicious thoughts ...

 

Jared looked up briefly, his face carefully blank “I’m concentrating, why don’t you take your sick twisted fantasies and go screw yourself?” The gun connected with Jared’s forehead and a sickness of pain washed over him, but he remained seated, still staring back at the clearly psychotic Andrew. He felt a trickle of blood down the side of his face.

 

Shit for brains, knock me out and you'll never get the money

 

Andrew was starting to lose patience. He poked Jared in the side with the gun “Get a fucking move on”

 

“On a time scale?” Jared enquired calmly, although inside his stomach churned and his head pounded

 

“You are pushing me Padalecki”

 

Andrew moved to view the screen, the gun’s direction never wavering.

 

“I am pulling as much money as I possibly can from the company”

 

“How much?” His assailant asked, greed heavy in his voice.

 

“Just short of seven” Jared answered gesturing at the screen “It is taking longer with the security protocols”

 

“Don’t I fucking know it.” He withdrew a torn piece of paper from his pocket and threw it next to the keyboard “to there” he said brusquely.

 

“What assurances do I have that you wont kill me once this is done” Where the fuck is security

 

“You don’t”

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Jensen heard the last part as he stood outside the office door, baseball bat in his hand and his head ringing with promises across his cell phone that help was on the way.

 

Stealthily he moved, making sure to avoid Andrew’s peripheral vision, the bat raised high.

 

Andrew turned as he saw a reflection in the screen, in time to avoid the blow to the head, but to receive it instead on his upraised sheltering arm. The bone cracked sickeningly and Andrew gasped, bringing the gun up to shoot at his assailant, registering Jensen’s face with a gasp of anger and outrage, kicking out in reflex at Jensen’s stomach. 

 

As the gun came up Jensen flinched, pushing himself back and away, watching fearfully as a smile of pure triumph crossed Andrew’s enraged face and the gun pointed at Jensen’s head. Jensen closed his eyes waiting for the bullet. A loud crack tore the air, but it wasn’t a bullet. Jensen opened his eyes as Andrew crumpled to the floor before him, a heavy breathing Jared holding a monitor in his hands. Jared looked down at the unconscious Andrew and then over at Jen who scrabbled for the gun and held it shakily at the prone man.

 

“Jesus Jen, what didn’t you understand about staying in your room”

 

“A ninja” Jen said his eyes glazing over “I’m a ninja” and then he fainted dead away.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

“A ninja Jen”, Jared shook his head sadly at his lover who was back in hospital after internal complication to his stomach wound, caused by Andrew's kick.

 

Jensen was groggy from lack of sleep and desperate to be released “Wha?” he muttered, on the edge of irritable.

 

“Ninja’s don’t use baseball bats” Jared explained as if to a child

 

“They bloody do, we just never see it on TV” he replied, a small quirk to his full lips, “Now where is that nurse? He was hot I tell ya”

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Epilogue

 

The launch for Streets2 was happening. Happening tonight and Jensen was freaking out. Their industry didn’t have much call for tuxedos but, for tonight, Jared and Jensen were dressed to the nines in dark suits and ties, vying for mirror space and teasing each other unmercifully.

 

It had been six months since Andrew had been removed from the house. Five months since Jensen had gone back at work, against doctor’s advice. Three months since Jared and Jensen had coded the most awesome graphics engine that ever awesomed (as Jared had explained to Sarah). 

 

Tonight AG launched a new engine that drove the best car racing game ever, and it was destined to wipe ITech off the map with their inferior product. Jensen told Jared he wasn’t going to sue ITech, revenge was a dish best served cold, Jared agreed and helped Jensen to persuade Sarah. Sarah just gave in, in the face of the two very persuasive men.

 

And tonight? Well tonight was their night, Jensen and Jared and Sarah and Ed and Trixie and the whole team at AG games that had painstakingly and carefully recovered from the damage that Andrew had wrought on them.

 

“Mr Ackles, I swear you get prettier every day.” Jared said with a flourish as he helped him into the waiting car.

 

“M’not pretty, m’not a girl, dude”

 

“Eyelashes that curl, eyes that shimmer, lips that pout. Yep, no doubt about it, you are definitely the girl in this relationship”

 

And as they sat down to the banquet of food at the launch and tucked into chilli chicken and rice, by special request from the Js, Jensen thought back on what Jared had said. 

 

If it meant feeling as loved and cherished as he did when he was with Jared then he was more than happy to be the girl.


End file.
